CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — A single 911 call released Tuesday is providing context to a fire investigation that later involved a burnt body, the North Carolina Medical Examiner and a homeowner found alive but with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A caller who saw an illegal trash fire Sunday morning in the 600 block of Dorset Drive in Cary reached out to 911 for help.
The dispatcher asked the caller, "Can you tell me exactly what is burning?"
"No, I can't see it, it's behind the fence. The fence is 5 feet high and I can see flames over the fence," the caller responded.
The dispatcher asked about the width of the fire, and the caller responded, "10-15 feet."
Near the end of the recording released by police, the dispatcher said she would relay the information to firefighters on the way.
"There's a huge plume of smoke that they can follow," the caller said.
The call stems from just after 7 a.m. on Sunday when fire crews extinguishing the flames discovered human remains in the fire pit debris. Police said those firefighters also found a male with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in one of the RVs on the property.
A police investigation also involves the state medical examiner's office after the remains were submitted for identification, according to Cary police.
“There, we are hoping to learn the identity, cause and time of death which will be vital pieces of information for investigators,” a release from Cary police said. There is no timeline on how long this process is expected to take.
A female found unharmed on the property unharmed did cooperate with the investigation, police also said. Due to the nature of the ongoing investigation, authorities have not publicly identified the male in critical condition or the female on the property.