Woman dies in suspicious fire at Washington apartment complex

Published 7:21 am Saturday, June 16, 2007

By Staff
Police, SBI search for clues
By CHRISTINA HALE
Staff Writer
A 63-year-old woman died Friday morning in a fire at Village Circle in Washington, and city and state officials are investigating the incident as suspicious.
Because of the “questionable circumstances” of the fire, police are not releasing the woman’s identity.
Firefighters with the City of Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS-Inspections responded to apartments 311 and 312 at Village Circle around 2 a.m. Friday. Village Circle, primarily a retirement community, is off Avon Avenue in Washington.
Firefighters made entry and extinguished the fire, but were unable to make a rescue. “It was too late,” Davis said.
The adjacent duplexes were evacuated by police and fire personnel. There were no additional injuries as a result of the fire.
Asked about the origin of the fire, Davis said he could not comment because the investigation had been handed over to the police department.
Washington received assistance from Bunyan Volunteer Fire Department and Old Ford Volunteer Fire Department.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washington Police Department at 946-1444 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at 974-6400.