A house fire on Monday claimed the life of an Otto man.
The victim was identified on Wednesday as Dean D. Ellis, 66. The cause of death was smoke inhalation, according to the Macon County medical examiner.
Otto Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire on American Way Drive at about 4 p.m. Monday.
The investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is currently underway by the Macon County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
Otto Fire and Rescue was assisted in putting out the fire by Franklin Fire and Rescue, Clarks Chapel Fire and Rescue and Squad 4.
The family has asked for privacy and that people not visit the property, which remains hazardous and is the site of an ongoing investigation.
The fatal fire is the second in Otto in a month. John Wayne Darnell, 57, died Sept. 26 when fire destroyed a mobile home on Tryphosa Road.