Two hours before sunrise on Saturday, the call went out to the Island’s volunteer firefighters of a Christiantown home engulfed in flames. Some 50 people responded, in bitter cold that caused their equipment, clothes and even beards to freeze, but they were unable to rescue the man inside, Daniel E. Prowten, 63, who had served on the West Tisbury fire department for 30 years.

Five hours later, spent firefighters and other emergency personnel formed two lines outside their friend and colleague Mr. Prowten’s destroyed home as his remains, draped in an American flag, were carried away.

Many of the firefighters fought back tears and saluted. Others tried to comfort Mr. Prowten’s former wife, Pat Waring, and their daughter, Diana Waring, who had come to the scene as the fire raged.

Mr. Prowten was a well-known Island builder. At Alley’s General Store, people shared the sad news of his death in hushed voices and shared memories of the man many knew and loved. All week flags flew at half-mast in front of the West Tisbury town hall and in front of all the Island fire stations.

Reflecting Saturday evening on his department’s great loss, West Tisbury assistant fire chief John Early said: “He served on the fire department for more than 30 years. He was a good man and he was dedicated to the town [of West Tisbury] . . . it’s very sad for everyone. Too sad to put into words.”

Those who responded to the call at 5 a.m. endured temperatures that hovered around five degrees and gusty winds.

But the extreme weather conditions paled compared to the emotional nature of the call; West Tisbury fire chief Manny Estrella 3rd said most of the firefighters who responded knew Mr. Prowten personally, who held the rank of lieutenant in the fire department. Both of Mr. Prowten’s trucks were in the driveway and firefighters knew immediately that he was likely inside.

Chief Estrella said the home was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived, making it impossible to perform a search of the home’s interior.

“It was too dangerous, we couldn’t go in, even though we knew one of our own was in there,” Mr. Estrella said. “But the men did their jobs, like they were trained to do. I can’t think of a more difficult situation, but they did their jobs and did them well.”

The Dukes County communications center received the first 911 call at 5:05 a.m., from a neighbor who reported a fully involved house fire on Christiantown Road.

According to a prepared statement from the West Tisbury fire department, neighbor Timothy Williamson, also a lieutenant in the Oak Bluffs police force, ran over to the home after reporting the fire. In spite of his efforts to bang on every door and window he could approach, he was unable to raise a response.

Chief Estrella was the next to arrive on scene, followed closely by several West Tisbury firefighters; the first piece of equipment to arrive was the West Tisbury engine at approximately 5:30 a.m.

Volunteer firefighters waged an aggressive exterior attack on the structure, but because the blaze was so big and the weather so cold, Chief Estrella immediately requested mutual aid from Aquinnah, Chilmark and Tisbury. Tri-town ambulance was also on scene to provide support for family members who had arrived and were waiting nearby.

Firefighters and equipment from Edgartown later responded, with the Oak Bluffs fire department providing coverage at the West Tisbury fire station.

Firefighters experienced extensive problems with freezing equipment, which required many of them to use hand torches to heat the equipment and cycle the water through hoses. Because of the remote location, water also had to be brought to the scene using tanker trucks from off-site locations. A stand of trees at the intersection of North and State Roads was encased in layers of ice after repeated use of the hydrant there.

Representatives from the Red Cross and Salvation Army came and established a comfort station, providing blankets, cups of coffee and sandwiches. Many other residents, many of whom personally knew Mr. Prowten, also arrived to volunteer their services.

The West Tisbury police department also responded, assisting the fire department with the preliminary investigation, securing the scene and provided support for Mr. Prowten’s family members throughout the day. Chief Estrella also requested the aid of the state fire marshall’s office, which is currently handling the investigation.

The Tisbury fire department provided a ladder truck to assist in the search for Mr. Prowten, and after several hours of careful search, his body was discovered. Firefighters stayed on scene until 5 p.m.

Mr. Estrella estimated that 50 firefighters braved the dangerous conditions of the early morning call. A grief counselor and stress management team was brought to the Island Sunday morning, and about 45 firefighters attended.

“This has been a tough week, about as tough as it gets. We’re holding up the best we can,” Chief Estrella said.

Mr. Early said the outpouring of support provided a small measure of comfort on such a tragic day.

“That’s part of living in a small community like the Vineyard; people want to help out any way they can. Most of the time when people go up there really isn’t anything they can do, but I think it’s still a comfort, just knowing people want to help.”

A spokesperson for the state fire marshall’s office said yesterday that the cause of the fire will not be determined for at least a month, after an autopsy is completed.