Man’s body discovered in overnight Lexington County fire identified by coroner

A dead man was discovered early Sunday morning following a residential fire in Lexington County, according to the coroner.

The body was found at a residence in the 300 block of Sunny Boy Poole Road in Gaston, the Lexington County Coroner’s office reported.

The man was identified as Tommy Ray Watts, according to coroner Margaret Fisher.

The 52-year-old Gaston resident “was pronounced dead on scene following a fire inside his residence,” Fisher said.

Fisher said the cause of death will be determined following an autopsy, which is scheduled for Monday.

There was no word if Watts was killed by something other than the blaze.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and is being investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

This story was originally published December 2, 2018 at 7:47 PM.