Ogden fire victim identified

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — It’s been two days since a man died in what investigators are calling a suspicious house fire in Ogden. Tonight New Hanover County Sheriff’s investigators say the former owner of the home died while it was going up in flames.

Arson investigators say 66-year-old Peter Darius died in his home in the Planters Walk neighborhood Sunday. New Hanover Fire Assistant Chief Matt Davis says Darius had owned the home at 307 Putnam Drive, but he lost it when it went into foreclosure.

Deputy Fire Marshal Ray Griswold met with detectives early this morning. The cause of the fire and death remain under investigation.