A fire that took the life of a Beaufort County man early Friday — his birthday — remains under investigation.

Jeffrey Lee Warren, 55, died in the early morning fire at 105 Wedgewood Drive in Tranter’s Creek Estates of U.S. Highway 264 in western Beaufort County.

Firefighters with the Clark’s Neck, Old Ford and Washington fire departments responded to the fire after a neighbor noticed flames and reported the fire to authorities about 4:33 a.m. It took about four hours to extinguish the fire, according to fire officials.

Maj. Kenneth Watson with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office was at the scene Friday afternoon. He said the home was a total loss and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire caused the house’s roof to collapse.

• Click HERE for a photo gallery of the scene.

“We’re working on that now,” Watson said Friday afternoon. “We have the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) in helping with the processing of the … scene. That will probably take the rest of the day.”

Shortly after entering the burning house, firefighters found Warren’s body in the living room near the front door, according to a press release issued by the sheriff’s office about 5 p.m. Friday. Warren was pronounced dead at the scene.

Evidence collected at the scene indicates the fire was accidental in nature, the release notes.

Medical reports indicate Warren’s death was caused by smoke and toxic-vapor inhalation as a result of the fire, according to the release. No foul play is suspected, according to the release.

Beaufort County Fire Marshal Curtis Avery responded to the fire scene to investigate the fatal blaze. Contacted about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Avery said Watson is serving as the public-information officer for media inquiries about the fire.