Chief Debby Hopkins said the residents of the two-story wood-framed house were not home because the pipes had frozen and they left to spend the night with family members.
She said the cause of the fire is undetermined. The residents did say heaters were left on in the house but it is was not immediately clear whether they were space heaters.
The fire department received the call around 1:45 this morning, Scotland Neck fire Captain Adam Greene said. The house was engulfed with flames coming out of the windows when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters had the blaze under control within 30 minutes and cleared the scene around 6 a.m.

A photo of the scene posted to social media.

Greene said the fire also melted siding off an apartment building beside the residence.
Hopkins said no one lived in the first apartment building.
In all, about 20 firefighters from Scotland Neck and Hobgood responded to the scene in the 200 block of East Tenth Street.
Scotland Neck sent three trucks and Hobgood one.
The Scotland Neck Police Department, the town’s public works department, EMS and the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office responded.