Firefighters to investigate Durham blaze

DURHAM, N.C. — Firefighters will return Friday to search for the cause of a fast-moving house fire in Durham.

The fire broke out just after 2 p.m. Thursday at 3110 Swing Road, officials said. No one was injured.

Jeannie Hawkins, who has lived in house for nearly 30 years, was out shopping when the fire started. When she returned to the home she rummaged through wreckage for pictures of her husband, John Hawkins, who died of cancer 24 years ago. Several of his photos were lost in the fire.

“That is all that is left of him,” Hawkins said while holding photos that survived.

Neighbor Charles Tidwell witnessed the fire.

“I heard an explosion and saw the fire shoot up in the trees back there,” Tidwell said.

Fire investigators said the explosion some neighbors heard may have come from a propane tank, which was in the rear of the home. Authorities said it is too early to tell exactly what started the fire.