A fire that broke out and burned a camper on Belfast-Keller Road in early February and claimed the life of one man is still under investigation by the Georgia Fire Marshal’s Office.

According to Jim Anderson, director of emergency services in Bryan County, all fires where fatalities occur are investigated by the state.

"It’s mandated in the law," Anderson said of the investigation. He wasn’t able to comment any further, but said he hoped to know something from the state within the next week.

While Anderson couldn’t confirm the identity of the man who died in the fire, the county’s Deputy Coroner Susan Clark said the man was 43-year-old Joseph Martin Harrison, a Bryan County resident. Clark wasn’t sure if the man lived in the camper or if he was just visiting.

Calls to the person listed as the owner of the property were not returned Friday afternoon.

The fire incident report said a resident on Belfast-Keller Road called 911 after noticing a fire coming from a camper at the residence on Feb. 2 shortly before midnight. When the first unit arrived the camper was fully engulfed in flames. The report said while firefighters were working the fire a resident told them there could possibly be a man in the camper. After the fire subsided a badly burned body was found.

After discovering the body, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Department and the coroner were called to the scene.