A vacant home on Dulamo Road on St. Helena Island was destroyed Monday by fire.

By the time the Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District arrived at 2:15 p.m., the entire building was on fire, spokesman Lee Levesque said.

"It was well ahead of us by the time anyone notified us," he said.

Because it was abandoned, firefighters concentrated on containing the flames, he said.

"As far as we are concerned, it was what they call a surround-drown," he said. "We didn't send anyone inside. It was confirmed the home was vacant, so it was keeping the fire contained to where it was, as opposed to aggressively getting inside and putting anyone at risk."

Firefighters were on scene for about two hours. Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office also responded.

The cause was undetermined, but the fire appeared to be accidental, Levesque said. Investigators are looking into the possibility the fire started from debris being burned nearby, he said.