Durham Fire Inspector/Investigator Lennis Harris Sr. said the fire started in the kitchen of Apt. A3, at the 814 Green St. complex occupied by Linda Bennett and her fiance, Kenton Myers. Harris said the cause of the fire is under investigation and he would not provide a dollar estimate on the damage, saying that might have to be determined by building inspectors.

Bennett, who said she did not have renter's insurance, said she was not in the apartment when the fire started.

"I was next door talking with [neighbor] David [Bullock], when he saw smoke coming through the wall," Bennett said. "I ran out the [back] door to see where the fire was coming from."

Bennett's 6-month-old black Labrador retriever puppy, "Midnight," died in the fire. Bennett said the smoke was too thick for her to get into the apartment to save the puppy. Bullock and his fiancee, Jillion Camper, were forced out of their apartment by related smoke damage. Bennett's family said any help the public would like to provide would be appreciated.

Harris said he could make a determination on the cause of the fire as early as today. He added that firefighters are prepared to deal with more blazes, since this is the season fires tend to become more common.

"It's that time of year when the weather changes," Harris said. "The number of fires pick up because of people turning up the heat, using different types of heaters -- space heaters and such -- to keep warm."

He added that this time of year, people will be "turning on heaters, turning them off, or forgetting to turn them off," which could lead to accidental fires.

The fire victims were being interviewed by Red Cross officials for assistance Monday afternoon. "We make it a point to always contact Red Cross when there are fires like that," Harris said.

Cheryl Williams, program coordinator for emergency services for the American Red Cross' Central North Carolina Chapter, could not be reached for comment about the level of help the fire victims need.