An electrical malfunction caused a house fire that killed two people in Fayette County Saturday, according to fire investigators.
Lamar R. Beckwith, 94, and his wife Catherine N. Beckwith, 88, died in the 1:30 p.m. blaze at the home at 185 Biltmore Drive. The house was destroyed, authorities said.
A neighbor told Channel 2 Action News that she heard an explosion and then saw flames coming from the roof of the home.
Firefighters said they had to retreat after the home’s roof collapsed.
“We made an exterior attack until we could knock some fire down. We went back in again made another aggressive attack. At that point we found one victim,” Capt. William Rieck, Special Operations Officer with the Fayetteville Fire Department, told Channel 2.
A neighbor said said a caregiver who was at the home often had just left before the fire started.
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