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Man severely burned in Raleigh house fire

The fire displaced more than a dozen people who lived in the Clark Avenue house, which was divided into apartments.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A person smoking in bed started a house fire late Friday night that injured two men and displaced about a dozen others.

Calls about the fire at 2514 Clark Ave. around 11 p.m., according to the fire report. Approximately 30 firefighters responded and brought the flames under control by 11:20 p.m.

Two men who were in the apartment where the fire broke out were injured, said Capt. James Poole, with the Raleigh Fire Department.

One victim suffered second- and third-degree burns from his head to his waist, Poole said. The burns covered more than half his body.

Emergency medical personnel transported him to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. His condition was unknown.

A second man suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, Poole said. He was treated on scene and refused to be taken to a hospital.

Authorities have not released the name of either victim.

About a dozen people lived in the 4,800-square-foot, two-story house that was divided into apartments. The Red Cross responded to the scene to assist them.

Approximately 10 percent of the building was damaged, and a back room in the far right of the house was destroyed. Poole said the fire likely originated from that room.

Fire investigators ruled that the blaze was accidentally started by a person smoking in bed.

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