Dennis & Susan Funeral Funding

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Fire investigators are trying to figure out what started a massive 2-alarm house fire that killed a married couple early Thursday morning in southeast Charlotte. Firefighters were called just after 1 a.m. to the home on Wingfield Lane, off East W.T. Harris Boulevard and Idlewild Road, and when they arrived saw heavy flames and smoke shooting from the structure. It took more than 50 firefighters roughly 40 minutes to get the fire under control, but by then the flames had already destroyed the home.   Fire crews tried desperately to save the two people inside, but one victim died at the scene and the other died at the hospital, officials told Channel 9. Investigators said they were the only two people living inside. Firefighters were alerted to the fire after a neighbor spotted the flames and called 911. The flames left walls melted, and part of the roof had collapsed. Channel 9 was the first on the scene and watched as neighbors paced the streets, many with tears streaming down their faces. Channel 9 reporter Mark Barber spoke with heartbroken family members who were still trying to grapple with what had happened. The family said a married couple, Dennis and Susan Swafford died in the fire. Relatives spent hours at the scene Thursday morning, searching for anything they could save. They told Barber that Dennis Swafford suffered from dementia and could not escape the flames, but that firefighters were able to pull Susan Swafford out of a window before she died. Family members said the couple had no children but that they treated their Cocker Spaniel, Sandy, like their child. The dog also died in the fire. Family members think the fire began in the kitchen but investigators said they're still trying to figure out how it started. WSOC-TV