AULANDER – An early morning house fire has claimed the lives of a Bertie County couple according to the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff John Holley says his office is waiting for DNA evidence before releasing the names of the pair – believed to be a man and a woman – who perished in the blaze.

Holley said his office received a call of a fire at 1831 Charles Taylor Road at approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, deputies found the house was completely engulfed in flames.

According to Bertie County Emergency Services Director Mitch Cooper, units from the Lewiston, Aulander, and Windsor Fire Departments were called out on the fire.

Holley says he requested assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for more thorough findings on the inferno.

“We just want to make sure we leave no stone unturned,” said Holley. “If they don’t find anything suspicious, fine; if not, we’ve learned more in the investigation.”

Holley said his office would release more information later Tuesday.