Firefighters successfully knocked down a 2-alarm fire in Canton, Massachusetts, early Monday but faced difficulties in the battle because of the burning home's location.
The fire broke out at about 2:45 a.m. at the home on Weathervane Road, according to authorities. Upon arrival, crews saw flames coming from the roof of the building — over the garage.
Three people and two pets who were inside the home at the time of the fire were able to escape from harm's way.
"The occupants were alerted to the fire by the sound of the fire, the crackling," Canton Fire Chief Charles Doody said.
The fire quickly spread throughout the second floor and attic space. Doody said crews had difficulty fighting the blaze because the house is in a rural section of town.
"The challenge in this part of town is water supply. As you could see, it's a fairly rural section of town," Doody said. "The distance from fire hydrants is greater than normal, and also water pressure was an issue."
Homeowner Jay Bullens said he was in New Hampshire when the flames broke out. Bullens told NBC10 Boston that he bought the house in 2007 and has done a lot of renovations.
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The home has an in-law apartment and eight bedrooms. Most of the fire damage is upstairs and there’s water everywhere, Bullens said.
"Hopefully we can stay. Hopefully we can put it back together," he said. "You know, it's going to be a long progress and of course it's the worse time — the holidays are coming and it's going to start getting cold."
Firefighters eventually gained control of the blaze just before 9 a.m.
Crews are investigating what caused the blaze and believe it was accidental. The residents have been displaced as a result of the fire, officials said.