A man and dog were found dead inside a Hamlet home following a Tuesday fire.
Hamlet Fire Chief David Knight was the first to arrive at the 294 Louis Breeden Blvd. home after the structure fire call went out around 12:22 p.m.
Knight said smoke from the blaze filled the home and was pouring from a front window when firefighters arrived.
“We didn’t have a whole lot of visibility on the inside at all,” he said.
The fire, which was extinguished in about 10 minutes, appeared to have been burning for a while. Knight said the flames burned completely through the floor in a corner of the front room.
The chief said he found the victim lying in the hallway. The man’s name was unavailable Tuesday night because officials were still working to notify the next of kin.
Judging by a pot lying on the floor and water overflowing from the sink, Knight said he believes the victim was trying to put the fire out.
The man’s body was taken to the hospital to determine a cause of death, although Knight said smoke inhalation is a likely cause or contributing factor.
The Hamlet Police Department and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.
After speaking with family members, police found out there was a dog inside the home. Firefighters found its body after extinguishing the flames.
Knight said the State Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate and will be at the scene today.