Greensboro detention officer, mother of four loses home in fire

Dua’a Ghazi, a Guilford County detention officer and single mother of four, lost her home on Whittier Drive after coming off a 12-hour shift and returning to a fire that spread from the bathroom into the roof and bedroom.

Ghazi said she came home on May 4, 2026, spent time with her youngest children, and then noticed the temperature rising inside the house. She had lived there for three years with her four children and eight pets, and in a matter of moments the family’s daily routine gave way to a scramble to get out.

At the time, Ghazi’s two older children were staying with a relative, while her 12-year-old daughter, Alaa Said, and 14-year-old daughter, Farah Said, were inside the house. The girls helped the family escape, and one of them helped rescue the dogs from the flames. All four dogs survived, but three cats died in the fire. A six-month-old kitten named Chips made it out.

The fire left Ghazi facing the kind of immediate replacement costs that can overwhelm any household, especially one already stretched by childcare and shift work. She is staying with her mother while she tries to rebuild, and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office has helped through internal efforts. For a working parent who serves the public in a jail setting, the loss did not stop at the front door. It meant finding shelter, replacing clothes and household necessities, and trying to stabilize four children after losing the place they had called home for three years.

The Greensboro Fire Department advises residents to test smoke alarms regularly, replace alarms every 10 years, keep a fire extinguisher, and practice at least two escape routes from every room. Greensboro also offers a smoke-alarm request program for residents inside city limits, while Guilford County residents outside the city can call the county contact number listed by the department.

Nationally, the U.S. Fire Administration says cooking is the leading cause of residential fires, with electrical malfunction also responsible for a significant share of home fire losses. The cause of Ghazi’s fire was not established in the available details, but the loss on Whittier Drive shows how quickly one night can erase years of work for a county employee and her children.