ORANGE – There were no injuries resulting from a fire caused by the ignition of combustible materials near a pellet stove’s flue pipe early Sunday morning, the town’s fire chief said.

James Young said his department was dispatched to a reported residential structure fire at 95 Winter St. at 2:31 a.m. and found an occupant and all pets outside, having been safely evacuated by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the home. The chief said the house’s other resident was not home at the time of the fire. The on-duty crew of three firefighters responded, and off-duty and on-call personnel responded to the scene directly and with additional apparatus.

While firefighters were en route, Orange Police reported there was smoke and fire showing. At this point, a working fire assignment was requested to bring in the Athol, New Salem and Phillipston fire departments as well as a rapid intervention team and Wood’s Ambulance. The Wendell Fire Department provided station coverage.

“I can’t say enough about the performance of our department on this fire,” Young told the Greenfield Recorder on Monday. “Our firefighters did a fantastic job. They worked their butts off.”

The house is deemed uninhabitable and Young said the two occupants declined assistance from the American Red Cross and are staying with family in Athol. He mentioned most of the house’s contents are salvageable.

Heavy smoke was showing from the first and second floors when firefighters arrived on scene, and an initial interior crew found heavy fire in the walls and ceiling on the first floor and worked to extinguish the visible fire. As soon as additional personnel arrived, a second interior crew made up of Orange and Athol firefighters went to the second floor and found very heavy smoke. They started opening up walls above the room of origin, and found the fire extending into the walls and breaking through to the exterior. An additional hose was brought up and suppression was started on the second floor, Young said.

The New Salem Fire Department then relieved the second-floor crew and worked with Orange firefighters to open up walls and ceilings and suppress the fire.

According to the Orange Fire Department’s Facebook page, mutual aid companies began to arrive and search for more fire, which had started to extend to the attic. A second alarm was then transmitted for additional personnel and equipment as heavy smoke was pushing out the rear of the structure, and conditions indicated the fire might start to consume the rest of the structure. Orange and Athol firefighters then worked off a roof ladder to create a vent hole above the fire. This venting, coordinated with an interior attack, suppressed the fire in the attic.

Young specifically mentioned the assistance of Orange Officers Donald Hager and Andrew Starbard, who he said grabbed his department’s supply line from the rear of the engine and dragged it approximately 200 feet to the nearest hydrant and helped connect them.

“They’re always good, always willing to help out,” Young said of Orange Police officers. “And that hose is not light, either – it’s heavy.”

Other fire departments that assisted came from Warwick, Northfield, Turners Falls and Greenfield. The departments from Royalston and Shutebury also provided town coverage. The Salvation Army Athol Corps was also on scene.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.