AULANDER – On Tuesday morning, firefighters returned to the scene of what must have seemed like de ja vu, when an Aulander house fire they previously extinguished the day before somehow rekindled to a full blown blaze.

According to Tim Ingram, Fire Chief with the Aulander Fire Department, firefighters received the initial call from E-911 dispatch that a house was on fire just past Aulander Elementary School on Monday evening at approximately 9:10 p.m.

&uot;When we arrived at the scene the house was already fully engulfed in flames,&uot; said Ingram, describing the home located at 2428 Highway 305 South.

Firefighters from both Aulander and Millennium, who responded to the Monday night blaze, were also on hand when the second call came in along with assistance from Lewiston-Woodville.

&uot;If it weren’t for help from the other fire departments, we wouldn’t have been able to get the fire under control,&uot; said Ingram, adding that they were fortunate not to have any injuries or fatalities in the inferno.

The owner of the home, Otelia Bazemore, who was located in Windsor shortly after firefighters arrived on the scene on Monday, had reportedly been planning to renovate the house to generate income as a potential rental property.

Ingram speculates that the fire was likely rekindled from some un-extinguished embers due to the strength of recent wind gusts.

&uot;What makes it bad,&uot; said Ingram, &uot;is that the wind was so strong it just fed the flames.&uot;

However, Ingram stated that the State Bureau of Investigation in Greenville would be looking into the situation to determine the cause of the original blaze.

Within a little over a week, two other Aulander residences experienced damage by fire, one on Elm Street and the other on Broad Street, both of which are currently under investigation.

&uot;In the past week, we have had some trouble with people setting fires,&uot; said Ingram, &uot;but we are abstaining from making any determinations until an investigation is concluded.&uot;

Ingram extended a special thanks to all the fire departments that offered their assistance.