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MURFREESBORO – An investigation is underway to determine what caused a residential fire here Wednesday morning that tragically claimed one life.

The name of the victim has not been released.

Murfreesboro Fire Chief Harrison Revelle said the blaze completely destroyed the residence, which was located in a mobile home park off Horton Road.

“I was the first to arrive on the scene and the home was fully engulfed. It was about three-quarters collapsed at that time,” Revelle told the R-C News-Herald.

Revelle said he was unaware at that particular time that someone was possibly inside the residence.

“Some of the neighbors informed me of that possibility,” he stated. “That information was confirmed once we knocked down the flames and it was safe enough to search the rubble.”

Revelle added that once the body was discovered, the NC State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Department of Insurance / State Fire Marshal were immediately contacted.

“They are the professionals we call upon, along with our Sheriff’s Office, to investigate a fire where a fatality is involved,” he stated. “They arrived on Wednesday and performed their investigation. We will be notified of what their investigation reveals as a cause of the fire, which as of right now is of an undermined origin.”

Revelle added that a report is also pending from the Hertford County Medical Examiner who took possession of the body.

The Union Volunteer Fire Department and the Winton Volunteer Fire Department assisted the Murfreesboro firefighters at the scene.

Additional response came from Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, Hertford County Emergency Management, and Hertford County EMS.

“We have contacted the Red Cross to assist the family impacted by the fire. We believe there was one other member of the family living at that residence, but they were not there at the time we arrived on the scene,” Revelle said.