COEBURN — A blaze that destroyed a two-story frame residential structure in Coeburn claimed the life of one person early Tuesday.
The fire at the home reportedly owned by Robert and Tammy Creed was first reported at around 3:41 a.m., located in the 800 block of Second Street NE.
Earlier media reports indicated Tammy Creed’s mother was a third occupant of the home.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Wytheville Field Office was contacted by the Coeburn Police Department and asked to open an investigation of the fire, usual in Virginia involving a fatality. Special Agent J.S. Nichols was called to the scene.
According to the VSP, human remains of a single individual were located and taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for positive identification.
The VSP said two occupants of the residence, a male and a female, escaped through a window on the second floor and were not injured. Preliminary findings suggest the fire may have started in a downstairs bedroom, the VSP said. The victim’s remains were found on what had been the first floor.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.