A significant house fire at a property owned by the family of NASCAR driver and team co-owner Denny Hamlin has resulted in two people being hospitalised.
Emergency Response to the Blaze
The fire was reported at 6:19pm local time at the home, which belongs to Hamlin's parents, in a wooded area of North Carolina. Lucia Riverbend Fire Chief David Toomey confirmed that nearly half of the property was already ablaze when the first firefighters arrived on the scene.
Due to a lack of fire hydrants in the remote location, crews from more than 10 different fire departments were required to battle the flames, which raged for several hours. One individual was initially trapped inside the building before being successfully freed by emergency personnel.
Victims and Aftermath
Two victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Their identities have not been publicly released. As of now, Denny Hamlin has not issued a public statement regarding the incident at his parents' home.
Hamlin's Recent Legal Victory
The fire comes shortly after a major professional milestone for Hamlin. Earlier this month, he and his business partner, basketball legend Michael Jordan, celebrated a settlement in their lawsuit against NASCAR.
The co-owners of the 23XI Racing team, which they launched in 2020, had sued the motorsport governing body over charter agreements and revenue sharing. The financial terms of the December 11 settlement were not disclosed.
Speaking outside the federal courthouse in Charlotte, Michael Jordan stated, 'Today's a good day.' He added, 'Only way this sport is going to grow is we have to find some synergy between the two entities, and I think we've gotten to that point.'
Hamlin, 45, a native of Tampa who was raised in central Virginia, continues to race for Joe Gibbs Racing while co-owning 23XI. He boasts 60 career wins from 718 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
