Plymouth Bureau

THORNTON — A two-alarm blaze Tuesday drew firefighters from more than 10 area departments to battle flames that leveled a three-story, single-family home.

Fire crews responded to 38 Burbank Hill Road to find the house ablaze, leaving only a stone chimney standing.

Occupants of the Brothers’ residence escaped the home without injury. The home was located at the corner of Route 49 and Burbank Hill Road, across from Goose Hollow Campground.

The home reportedly was undergoing interior renovations at the time of the blaze, but the cause of the fire is unknown.

Workers on the scene quickly realized the immediate danger to the surrounding homes and set to extinguish the blaze as quickly and effectively as possible. Campton-Thornton Fire Chief David Tobine said fire quickly spread to the woods behind the Brothers’ residence, endangering two nearby homes.

Tobine said the adjacent homes were not damaged, but fire and smoke stopped at the neighbors’ doorsteps. "We had to focus on putting out the initial fire so that it wouldn’t continue to spread," said Tobine.

Thornton resident and bystander Rosemarie Lanoue was sitting in her vehicle near the home waiting for her son’s school bus when she saw people fleeing from the home. "I saw people trying to move their cars out of the way." Lanoue reported seeing a great deal of flames and smoke billow from the home within minutes. "I couldn’t believe how quickly it went up." Lanoue dialed 911 on her cell phone.

Tobine commended the quick work of the various rescue crews. "When we got here, there was heavy fire on all levels and the wind was going," said Tobine. "The crews did an excellent job."

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the State Fire Marshall’s Office.