DURHAM – An unnamed elderly man was found dead by Durham firefighters responding to a Saturday afternoon fire alarm at the JFK Memorial Towers, an apartment complex for senior citizens and disabled adults at 4900 N. Roxboro St.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Chris Iannuzzi, firefighers were dispatched to an automated fire alarm at the site at 1:20 p.m. Saturday.
Two minutes later, the call was upgraded to a structure fire after a resident at the address called and reported smoke in the building.
When firefighters arrived, they found a small fire in the living room area of a room on the third floor that had been been held in check by two sprinklers in the room.
They extinguished the remaining fire and found a deceased elderly man in a chair in the room.
The fire was contained to the small area of the room where the man was found. The man’s family has been notified, Iannuzzi said, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Thirty to 40 apartments incurred water damage, but building management said that none of it was significant enough to displace any residents, according to Iannuzzi. Firefighters remained on the scene until 4:15 p.m. Saturday.
The source of ignition is still under investigation, but the fire was being considered accidental as of Saturday evening.
No one else was hurt.
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