Robert Hampton Jr. called 911 Sunday afternoon. His house on Lefler Lane in southern Davie was on fire.

But before the 72-year-old man could get out of the house, he was overcome with smoke. He never made it out alive, said Jerry Myers,
Davie fire marshal.

Myers said no foul play was involved in the fire. It was a tragic accident.

First responders tried to perform CPR on Hampton, who later was pronounced dead at the scene.

A retiree from Ingersoll-Rand, Hampton leaves behind a large family, including a son and daughter, three brothers and three sisters. He had lived near Cooleemee all of his life.

His funeral was set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 at Legion Memorial Park in Cooleemee.