An overnight, two-alarm fire caused by smoking materials left a home on Wolf Hill Road in Gloucester heavily damaged but caused no serious injuries to the two residents or dozens of first-responders summoned to the scene.
Firefighters got a call at 12:39 a.m. Monday about a house fire in a single-family, single-story home at 10 Wolf Hill Road.
As fire crews arrived, smoke could be seen drifting from the roof of the structure.
Fire Chief Eric Smith said the fire resulted in “pretty significant damage” to the home.
“It went to a second alarm due to the pretty good involvement of the structure,” Smith said. “It started on the outside of the building.”
Smith said two young men who lived in the home were renting the property and were able to safely evacuate the house. A dog and two pet birds also reportedly made it out OK.
“Both the residents are OK,” he said. “They had a little smoke inhalation. None of the victims that were here that got smoke inhalation went to the hospital. It looks like they got all their pets out so that’s good. On a human factor side, it’s been good but there’s pretty significant damage to this house.”
In addition, Smith said no injuries were suffered by firefighters at the scene.
While it started outside, the fire “set off the alarms inside (and) it burned its way into the attic and into the structure.”
After the residents were alerted to the fire, they attempted to extinguish the flames using a garden hose.
“When they initially got woken up, they tried to put the fire out,” he said. “But that little hose just wasn’t enough for how much fire they had there.”
Smith said indications initially showed a possible barbecue had been used the prior evening but in a press release issued Monday the Gloucester Department “determined that the fire was caused by smoking materials.”
“Most of the interior damage from the fire itself is in that attic space, in the wall and coming from the outside in,” he said. “It looks easy to put out when you first pull up but once it’s eaten its way into the house; now you’re chasing it.”
Mutual aid units from Rockport, Essex and Beauport EMS and Rehab 5 officials also responded to the scene.
Smith said firefighters were on the scene for several hours fighting the fire and working to dampen hot spots. He said the homeowner was out of state at the time of the blaze but was expected to return to Gloucester sometime on Monday.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.