Belhaven resident Greta Brooks believes the restoration of power to Belhaven early Tuesday morning caused her house to catch on fire.
Brooks had been staying in Greenville, waiting for power to her house to be restored.
She said the power to her house was restored about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Brooks’ cousin called shortly after that to inform her that her house had burned.
Brooks said she unplugged several appliances, including a window air conditioner and a dehumidifier, to prevent a fire from starting.
Firefighters with the Belhaven and Pantego fire departments responded to the fire. Officials said the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
A storm system that moved through the area Sunday left Belhaven and other areas in eastern North Carolina without power.
At one point, about 25,000 Beaufort County residents and businesses were without power after the storm passed by.