A fatal fire that swept through a mobile home in southeastern Stokes County early Thursday morning burned everything so severely that investigators were unable to identify the victim more than a day later.
The remains were taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where investigators were working Friday with pathologists to establish the identity, said Frankie Burcham, Stokes County's fire marshal.
The fire started sometime early Thursday and had been burning long enough that only the home's frame and foundation were still burning when firefighters arrived, Burcham said.
The house was on Village Drive, in the Pine Hall area north of Belews Lake.
Nothing remains but its brick foundation.
The body was removed yesterday.
Burcham said investigators usually rely on dental records to identify the victim. However, there wasn't enough of the jaw left to do that in this case.
A female resident of the home has not been accounted for. Investigators have not released her name.
"We're still in the very early stages of the investigation," Burcham said.
The fire's cause has not been determined.
Burcham said the fire left so little behind it's possible the cause will never be officially determined.
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