LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP) – The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office says a man killed in a mobile home fire is the second person to die in a blaze in two days.
Local media outlets report 61-year-old John Terry Smith was killed Wednesday when the fire gutted his mobile home.
Lt. Brian Duckworth said that while the cause of both fires hasn’t been determined, investigators believe space heaters may have played a role. In the latest fire, Duckworth said four space heaters were found inside the home. Officials say flames had engulfed the mobile home by the time firefighters arrived.
On Tuesday, a retired Highway Patrol trooper died after fire swept through his home. The sheriff’s office said 61-year-old Michael Wayne Chavis was using a space heater because someone recently stole duct work from the home.
