Up-Island volunteer firefighters battled a major house fire off Moshup Trail in Aquinnah for several hours Thursday, finally containing the blaze by evening.

With no ready supply nearby, water was trucked in, first from the tribe's underground tank and later from a pond down the road. — Mark Lovewell

No one was injured, but the fire tested the response skills of the up-Island departments in an area with no ready water supply.

Aquinnah fire chief Simon Bollin said the call came in at 2:16 p.m. from the home at 4 Towhee Lane owned by Keith Oberg. The home has been under construction. Workers in the basement were involved in a spray insulation project when they saw smoke, got out and called the fire department, Chief Bollin said.

When the deputy fire chief arrived on the scene a few minutes later, smoke was pouring out of the basement, the chief said.

The response included two trucks from Aquinnah, three from Chilmark and three from West Tisbury. Edgartown also later provided mutual aid with its ladder truck which has the ability to refill air bottles, Mr. Bollin said.

Estimated 60,000 gallons of water used to knock down fire. — Bret Stearns

Water supply was an issue, the chief said, since there were no hydrants nearby. Firefighters used 20,000 gallons from an underground tank housed on tribe property, and after that was depleted they took water from a pond at the corner of State and Lobsterville Roads.

Chief Bollin estimated about 60,000 gallons of water was used, in addition to compressed air foam from one of the Chilmark trucks. “It was a stubborn fire, tough to knock down,” he said. By 7 p.m. the fire was under control, with firefighters remaining on the scene for a few hours after that to monitor hot spots, Mr. Bollin said.

Home at Towhee Lane was under construction. The cause of the fire is under investigation. — Mark Lovewell

The extent of damage in the home has not been fully assessed, Mr. Bollin said. The cause is under investigation by Aquinnah Sgt. Paul Manning who has been trained in fire investigations. The chief said he was in contact with the state fire marshal’s office and it was determined that the investigation could be handled locally since there was no indication of arson and no personal injury.

Mr. Bollin said it was the first major fire in Aquinnah since he became chief some four years ago. He praised the response.

“All the departments worked well together,” he said, adding: “Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury had a drill very similar to this up at the Cliffs just a few weeks ago, so everyone had worked together recently. Practice does help.”