A house fire around midnight Tuesday displaced a family and caused severe damage.
The Portsmouth Fire Department received a call reporting the blaze around 12:15 a.m., and when firefighters arrived the home at 29 Locust Ave. was engulfed in flames. All the inhabitants, who were alerted by a smoke detector, made it out of the home unharmed, Portsmouth fire Capt. Dan Smith said. Portsmouth firefighters, with help from the Middletown, Naval Station Newport and Bristol fire departments, knocked down the fire within about 30 minutes, Smith told The Daily News Tuesday morning.
The cause of the fire, which started toward the front of the home, remains under investigation, Smith said. A statement from Portsmouth police said the state fire marshal determined the fire appeared accidental. The home is not inhabitable.
“The important thing is that everyone got out,” Smith said.