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UPDATED at 8:46 am on Thursday, Dec. 29

AHOSKIE – The cause of a fire that destroyed a home near here Wednesday afternoon remains unknown.

Firefighters from four departments responded after a call to Hertford County E911 Dispatch came in at around 2:30 p.m. regarding a residential structure fire in the 500 block of Hall Siding Road, located north of Ahoskie near the Brantley’s Grove community. The call referenced the residence as “fully engulfed” at that time.

Heavy black smoke could be seen for miles.

Ahoskie Rural Fire Chief Patrick Dilday said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Members of four departments – Ahoskie Station 1, Ahoskie Station 2, Union Fire Department, and Winton Fire Department – responded to the scene. Those departments combined to use nine units and 37 firefighters to battle the blaze. Hall Siding Road near the railroad crossing was blocked with emergency response vehicles.

The last unit cleared the scene at 4:58 pm, but Dilday said they were summoned to the same location Wednesday night to extinguish a hot spot.

There were no reports of injuries.

Dilday said he called the American Red Cross to assist those impacted by the fire.