UPDATE
Scene of house fire on Orange St in Darlington. Bringing a stretcher onto scene.
/ Brianna Smith
Authorities pulled two bodies from a home that burned down on Orange Street in Darlington Sunday. The two men who died in the house fire were J. Dwight Dana, 67, and his son, James Radisson Dana, 27, according to Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee.
Both died of smoke inhalation and the manner of death was ruled accidental, according to Hardee.
Firefighters were called to the home about 2:30 a.m.
A neighbor across the street said the fire woke him up. "I looked out the window and the house across the street was ablaze," said Billy Coe.
Firefighters say the home was showing flames when they arrived.
"The house was about halfway involved. They had to get help from Darlington County, Hartsville City, and Palmetto Rural," said City of Darlington Fire Chief Pat Cavanaugh.
Around 1 p.m. Sunday, crews found the bodies of Dana and his son.
"We assumed there were only two people in the house and both of those people have been accounted for and both of them are deceased," said Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee.
Dana was a reporter with the Morning News newspaper in Florence.
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating, along with other authorities.
