A 22-year-old male died in a residential house fire in Cope on Saturday night, Orangeburg County Fire District Coordinator Teddy Wolfe said.
A passerby called 911 at 7:32 p.m. after seeing smoke coming from the eaves of the residence at 1618 Binnicker Bridge Road, Wolfe said.
When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke and fire coming out of the roof of the wooden home built during the 1930s, he added. The home also had a few additions.
After the initial fire attack and while a secondary search of the home was underway, someone approached and noted that there was likely a 22-year-old male inside of the home.
About 30 minutes later, firefighters located the body of the male in the living room.
The victim lived in the home. The homeowner was not present at the time of the fire.
There were no working smoke alarms in the residence, Wolfe noted.
Wolfe said he’s called the S.C. Law Enforcement Division to assist with the investigation because he “still has some unanswered questions.”
“It remains under investigation at this time,” he added.
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Media Director Richard Walker said that deputies were called out to the scene at 8:32 p.m.
“No foul play is expected at this time,” he added.
In addition to the Orangeburg County Fire District, the sheriff’s office and SLED, other emergency responders included Orangeburg County EMS and the fire departments of Bolentown, Canaan, Cordova, Edisto and Norway.
The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the victim’s name.
Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD.
Martha Rose Brown
Staff Writer
Martha Rose Brown covers crime and other topics. She's worked as a journalist in the region for the past 18 years.
