PETERBOROUGH — A house on Nichols Rd was engulfed in flames early this afternoon leading Peterborough Fire & Rescue to call for a second alarm upon their arrival, officials said.
The fire department received the call at about 1:19 p.m. and arrived five minutes later to heavy fire in the breezeway of the residence.
A second alarm was immediately requested to gather additional manpower to battle the blaze.
The tenant, who was the only person in the house at the time of the incident, confirmed the property was otherwise empty, allowing firefighters to focus on extinguishing the fire from outside before proceeding inside.
The fire was under control by 2:05 p.m., but crews remained on site for two more hours dealing with overhaul operations.
Assistance at the scene came from multiple agencies including Peterborough Police and fire departments from Jaffrey, Antrim, Bennington, Hancock, Greenfield, SWNHFDMA, Dublin, and Milford.
Firefighters from Temple, Keene, and Rindge provided station coverage during the incident.
Eversource also contributed by securing power to the affected home.
Authorities later determined the cause of the fire to be accidental, resulting from improper disposal of wood stove ashes.
The house is considered a total loss, and the impacted tenant is now receiving aid from the Red Cross.
