kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM -- Fire killed a man in his mid-70s, sent two firefighters to the hospital and destroyed the man's home in northern Durham County on Monday night, fire officials said.
The victim was identified as Marvin Jacobs, according to Lt. Stan Harris with the Durham County Sheriff's Office.
Firefighters were called to the home at 110 Shantercliff Place shortly after 8 p.m. and saw flames coming through the roof, Chief Howard Sykes of the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department said.
He said no one else was at home when the fire broke out, but he said two dogs are missing.
Two firefighters -- one from the Lebanon department and one from the Eno Volunteer Fire Department in Orange County -- were transported to the hospital by ambulance. They were released after being examined in the emergency room. Sykes said other firefighters suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.
Firefighters from the Durham Fire Department and the Bahama Volunteer Fire Department also helped fight the blaze.
Sykes said firefighters were at the scene until about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Harris said sheriff's investigators don't suspect arson, but haven't ruled anything out.
"We just want to make sure that no criminality is attached to this already tragic story,'' Harris said.
Harris said the victim, a mechanic, had been seen by neighbors working on a car in his carport about an hour before the fire call came in.
He said Jacobs lived in a close-knit community and was well liked by his neighbors.
The body has been transported to Office of the State Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill for autopsy. Harris said he expects the results soon.
The Durham County Fire Marshal's Office is also investigating what caused the blaze to the single-family, one-story house.
