Feb. 14--A 75-year-old man has died after his clothes caught fire while he was reportedly burning brush in his Lincoln County yard.
Authorities are still investigating the fire, which occurred late Monday afternoon on Maiden Salem Road in Maiden.
Edward Rowe died from his injuries early Tuesday, according to the Gaston Gazette.
Lincoln County Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Summers said authorities received a call after 3 p.m. Monday about an RV or other vehicle possibly being on fire. When crews arrived, he said they found a "fairly large-sized" grass fire, possibly spanning three-fourths of an acre. The fire wasn't very tall, but had spread into the yard of an adjacent home, Summers said.
As firefighters extinguished the fire, Summers said a woman began yelling that her husband had been burned. The man had reportedly been burning some weeds in his yard when he somehow caught fire. He then ran to the back door of his home and told his wife to call 911, Summers said.
Rowe sustained second- and third-degree burns on his body. He was flown to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries.
Summers said authorities are still trying to learn more about how the fire started. State law generally allows property owners to burn brush in their own yards, though some municipalities have set restrictions. In Lincoln, permits may be required depending on the size of the planned burn. Burns also can be restricted under windy conditions, but it is unclear whether any such restrictions were in place Monday.
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