Yellow tape surrounds a North Bend home early this morning the day after a New Year’s fire at 3551 Edgewood Drive. One man, who was living at the home, died trying to fight the early morning blaze. World Photo by Lou Sennick

A house fire in North Bend left one person dead and a family homeless early Monday morning.

According to the North Bend Police log, at about 3:36 a.m., a neighbor reported a fire at 3551 Edgewood Drive. Upon arrival North Bend firefighters discovered the living room was fully engulfed in flames, with heavy smoke spreading throughout the building.

A renter at the residence, Jerry Jeffries, 56, of North Bend, was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Cheryl Jeffries, escaped the house, fleeing to a neighbor's home while Jeffries remained behind to attempt to put out the flames, said Keith Brown, deputy state fire marshal for Coos County.

The Jeffries' son, Josh, was staying at a friend's house overnight and wasn't at home.

Three North Bend fire engines responded to the fire, with 24 firefighters quickly dousing the blaze within 20 minutes, said North Bend Assistant Fire Chief Jim Brown.

“The fire wasn't going on for too long before we got there. The woman got out of her house and went to the neighbors house and called 911,” he said. “We believe they were woken up by their fire detectors.”

According to Fire Marshal Brown, the blaze was started by a space heater in the living room. The portable heater malfunctioned, causing the plastic casing to melt into the carpet and catch the rug on fire, he said.

“The occupants were in the living room at the time, but were asleep,” Brown said. “She saw the fire, and got up and went outside. Her husband stayed to fight the fire, and he stayed too long.”

The fire has been ruled accidental, but Jeffries' cause of death hasn't been determined.

“We're pretty confident he was killed by the fire, whether or not it was smoke inhalation,” Brown said.

House fires are more common in the winter season, with a lot of wood, pellet and electrical heaters warming the house, Brown said.

“When you start talking about heating, whether it's metal heating elements or a wood or pellet heater, we have to be cautious,” he said. “There were smoke detectors in the house, and I'm certain that's what got their attention. Detectors are very important because they give you more warning, but they frequently don't pick up the very first sign of smoke. Once the detector goes off you only have about two minutes to get outside the house, particularly in the middle of the night.”

As of Tuesday morning, the home remained roped off by yellow police scene tape. The family has been referred to the American Red Cross relief office, and is staying with Cheryl Jeffries' older son, officials said.