HOPE MILLS, N.C. (AP) - A Special Forces soldier and his two daughters have died after he tried to rescue them from his burning home near Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Cumberland County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Tanna says the adults managed to escape the burning home early Tuesday, but the father went back in for his young daughters.

Tanna says the girls' mother told firefighters the soldier re-entered the home in Hope Mills, about 10 miles from the Army base that's home to the Green Berets and other Special Forces units. Tanna says the mother is being treated at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

The spokeswoman says the century-old home's timbers were likely very dry, causing a very hot blaze that kept firefighters outside hours after extinguishing the fire.

The victims' names have not been released.