UPDATE 8:50PM – Smithfield Police have identified the victim as 58 year-old Judith Ann Phillips. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
SMITHFIELD – One person was found dead after firefighters responded to an early morning house fire in Smithfield. The fire was reportedly shortly before 2:00am on N. Sussex Drive off Canterbury Road.
Firefighters discovered flames coming from a side window of the smoke filled duplex. The victim was found in a front room but efforts to save her life were not successful.
Two other residents and a dog escaped uninjured. The Red Cross responded to assist two adults who also lived in the duplex.
Smithfield Police and the Johnston County Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause.
