2 people and a dog killed in East Durham house fire

An early-morning blaze killed two people in a remote Durham home Tuesday after an electric space heater sparked flammable materials, fire officials said.

The blaze on Hilltop Drive also killed at least one dog, said Deputy Chief Chris Iannuzzi. Another dog was resuscitated with a pet oxygen mask.

The flammable things had been kept too close to the space heater, and no smoke detectors could be found in the house, Iannuzzi said.

One person suffered burns to the hands while waking a man in the house who escaped, fire officials said. Three others in the house could not be awakened.

The victim with burned hands was taken to UNC Hospitals. An injured women was resuscitated at the scene and taken to Duke University Hospital.

The two deceased victims were men.

The house sits down a long dirt road, rutted with potholes, off Miami Boulevard.

One of the people inside was bedridden at the time, while another rushed next door to call 911, according to ABC 11, the N&O’s media partner.

More dogs in a nearby kennel were unhurt.

The blaze began at 4:45 a.m. and required 40 fire fighters on the scene, said Division Chief David Swain. It took about 25 minutes to extinguish.

This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 8:08 AM.