A roof fire at a Chilmark home was quickly extinguished Wednesday afternoon by up-Island firefighters.
The fire broke out during a day of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Assistant Chilmark fire chief Timothy Carroll said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it might have been the result of a lightning strike.
Emergency responders were called to the fire at 146 Quenames Road at 11:52 a.m., according to a press release from Chilmark police. Mr. Carroll said a staff member was on the property and reported the fire at a farmhouse.
Chilmark police and fire departments, Tri-Town EMS, and West Tisbury and Aquinnah firefighters responded to the scene. Officers observed flames coming through the roof of the residence, according to the press release, and the fire was extinguished by 12:23 p.m.
The police said there were no injuries and the building suffered damage to the roof and attic area.
According to assessor’s records, the south shore home near Black Point Beach is owned by Jared B. Stammell of New York city.
Mr. Carroll said the response was helped along by the wet weather, with rain keeping the wooden roof wet, and by the fact that someone saw the fire and called it in. “Otherwise it wouldn’t have turned out quite so well,” he said.
The assistant fire chief said the response was also slowed down by vehicles trying to traverse narrow dirt roads in wet, windy weather. Home associations should make sure to cut back brush from roads, he said, and signs for roads and the numbers of houses should be visible from entrances.
Mr. Carroll added that everyone should also take the opportunity to check the batteries on smoke detectors. He had no comment on whether there was a smoke detector in the home.
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