PENDLETON — A soon-to-be unoccupied mobile home near here was completely destroyed after a fire ripped through it.

On Sunday afternoon, Severn and Conway Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to 205 Pine Ridge Lane, off Stanley Barnes Road near the Northampton and Hertford County line.

According to Assistant Severn Fire Chief Kevin Britt (the first department at the scene), the single-wide mobile home was 70 percent engulfed upon arrival.

Britt said he called for assistance from near-by Murfreesboro Fire Department.

“I called in Murfreesboro because of the water situation,” said Britt. “There’s no hydrants out here.”

Britt said the departments were able to contain the flames within 10 minutes. He added the source of the blaze is under investigation. A Northampton County Sheriff’s Deputy was seen interviewing witnesses.

The three occupants of the home, Darrell Bayse along with his children Brittany, 12, and D.J., 13, were in the process of moving out and, therefore, were not inside the trailer at the time of the blaze.

Bayse told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald he had been renting the home, owned by Ronnie and Sarah Culpepper, since October.

Bayse said he was driving back from Kinston when some one called him about the fire. The flames were spotted by neighbor.

“It’s messed up,” said Bayse about the fire. “I don’t understand; everything was turned off.”

Bayse’s mother, Nancy Apple of Murfreesboro, was looking after his children when the fire occurred.

Bayse said his family had planned to stay in the home the night before, but at the last minute decided not to when Apple chose to look after the children.

Apple said her son had been traveling a lot for his job with Benchmark and ultimately decided not to continue to rent the home. Bayse had been placing his belongings in storage for the time being.

Bayse said while most of his family’s belongings were out of the home when the fire occurred, two beds, a living room suit, stereos and some of the children’s school uniforms were lost.

Apple and Bayse both agreed those items can be replaced and were thankful the family was not in the home at the time of the blaze.

“That, to me, is the silver lining,” said Apple.