AULANDER – While the investigation continues into what sparked a residential fire that claimed the lives of a husband and wife earlier this week, the cause does not appear criminal in nature.

“To this point in our investigation there is no evidence that leads us to believe that foul play is involved in this fire,” Bertie County Sheriff John Holley said on Friday afternoon.

LuAnn Perry Ambrose, age 60, and Kenneth Ray Ambrose, age 58, both died tragically after their home at 1831 Charles Taylor Road in the Francis Mill community burned to the ground in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 28.

At the outset of the investigation, Holley summoned the assistance of the North Carolina SBI.

“The SBI has now completed their investigation at the fire scene and are waiting for the lab to analyze the items they collected,” Holley noted. “We also waiting to hear back from the state medical examiner on what they discovered during their part of this investigation.”

The three-alarm fire was called in to Bertie Sheriff’s Dispatch at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. Members of the Lewiston, Aulander, and Windsor Fire Departments responded to extinguish the blaze.