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Suspect identified in deadly house fire in Rural Hall, deputies say

The Forsyth County Fire Marshal’s office said they identified 25-year-old Thomas Monroe Rominger as the man found dead in a house fire on North St.

RURAL HALL, N.C. — Editor's Note: The video above is from the initial story about when the fire happened. 

A suspect was found dead after a house fire in Rural Hall, according to deputies. 

On Monday, The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said 25-year-old Thomas Monroe Rominger was identified as the person dead in the home on the 200 block of North Street Friday.

When emergency crews arrived at the home just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 22 after responding to a domestic disturbance, they said a man barricaded himself in a home and threatened to shoot anyone who entered.  

Neighbors described the scene as chaotic. 

"It was definitely a full blaze. The house was up in smoke," Jason Giggins said. 

Deputies said they activated both their Crisis Negotiation Team and SWAT Team to respond to the scene. 

Deputies were able to put the car fire out and noticed smoke coming from the house.

Neighbors believe the fire caused a significant amount of roof damage.

"Definitely a lot of structural damage but at the time it was mainly in the roof. You can see flames coming out of the house," Giggins shared.

Due to the threats made, the PA system was used by deputies to call the barricaded man out of the house so that fire crews would safely address the fire. 

Firefighters were then able to enter the home and worked to extinguish the fire while also forcing their way through barricaded rooms looking for potential victims.

During the search, firefighters found a dead man and a dead dog.

One dog survived the fire and was rescued by a Forsyth County deputy and then turned over to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Division.

Investigators said the cause of the death is still pending as this investigation is still ongoing.  

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