VASS, N.C. (WNCN) — A veteran 911 operator died after a car and home caught on fire in Moore County earlier this month, officials say.

The incident was reported on Sept. 18 at a home on Water Hills Lane just outside Vass, according to a news release from Cypress Pointe Fire and Rescue.

Fire crews arrived and found both the car and home on fire.

“While working the house fire, a burn victim was located in the house and removed to the exterior where paramedics and EMTs worked to stabilize the victim,” the news release said.

The patient was transported to a landing zone and then flown to the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

John Frye, 37, was identified as the man who died the next day at the burn center, officials said.

He was a veteran 911 telecommunicator “who was well-known and respected as a member of the emergency services community,” officials said.

“John served the citizens of Moore County for over 12 years and was a trusted voice on the telephone and the radio when he was in the dispatch center. He will truly be missed,” the news release said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.