MURFREESBORO – An effort is underway to assist a local family who lost their home in a fire near here Friday afternoon.

The blaze at 421 Pinetops Road forced Billy and Dawn Pridgen along with their two sons to re-locate to a residence nearby that is owned by a family member.

Meanwhile, an account has been established at Southern Bank in Ahoskie for those wishing to make a financial contribution to help the family.

“They lost everything except the clothes they had on their back,” said Murfreesboro Fire Chief Bryant Cooke whose department was the first to arrive on the scene.

Cooke said flames were showing from the residence, a doublewide mobile home, upon the arrival of the first of four Murfreesboro Fire Department units shortly after the call came in at 12:31 p.m.

Chief Cooke said the residence was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

The Murfreesboro firemen were assisted by a combined five other units dispatched to the scene from the Conway, Winton, and St. John Volunteer Fire Departments.

Cooke said the final Murfreesboro unit cleared the scene at approximately 4:30 p.m.

He added that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.