Farmington fire a mile down private dirt road a tough go for firefighters

Flames roar from a two-story Cape style house on Pigeon Drive in Farmington on Monday. (Courtesy photos/Farmington Fire Rescue)

FARMINGTON - Farmington firefighters had to contend with scarce water and bad roads on Monday as they battled a house fire on Pigeon Drive that ended with the structure a total loss.

Farmington Fire Chief James Reinert said the two-alarm fire at 116 Pigeon Drive toned around 12:20 p.m. and firefighters found themselves up against it right away with a private dirt road that was difficult for firetrucks to negotiate.

Reinert said when they arrived at the residence about a mile in from 10 Rod Road at 12:25 they found a garage fully involved and working its way into the main Cape style house.

The home is reported to be a total loss due to fire and water damage.

He said they quickly realized the garage was lost and went to a defensive mode trying to save the two-story residence, but between the fire and water damage, the home was a total loss.

"It was a very narrow road," Reinert said today. "We were eventually able to locate a water source from a nearby brook."

He said the two-alarm blaze is believed to have started in the garage, but due to the intensity of the blaze an exact cause may not be found.

The owner was working in a separate building and heard the family dog barking, which alerted him to the fire, Reinert said.

Other fires in New Durham and Strafford prompted mutual aid to come in to help from as far away as Ossipee, Acton, Maine and the Berwicks, the chief noted. Other aid came from Rochester, Dover, Middleton, Milton and New Durham.

He said it was an unusually busy day for firefighters in the town with a tree cutting machine catching fire on Route 11 and a brush fire on Summer Street.