Toddler dies in house fire in Elizabeth City, N.C.

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.

A 2-year-old boy died when his house was engulfed by fire Saturday.

A grandmother, a 7-year-old and a 1-year-old escaped as flames spread quickly through the home in the 600 block of Roanoke Ave. at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Barry Overman, Elizabeth City fire marshal, said. They escaped without serious injuries.

Firefighters from Elizabeth City, Nixonton and the Coast Guard base arrived to find that flames had already spread through the roof and windows.

Firefighters had the fire out in about 30 minutes, Overman said. The cause is not known yet, he said. Investigators were at the home Sunday morning.

Names of the victims were not released, pending notification of the toddler's father. The boy's mother lived in the house but was not home when the fire started, Overman said.