Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire that displaced a couple from their 30 Defiance Ave. home in the middle of the night last week.
The fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. on Friday, May 28. When firefighters arrived to the raised ranch-style structure, there was heavy fire from the back of the home, with the back deck engulfed in flames.
It was burning so hot that a sliding door leading into the main level of the house broke, helping the flames get inside. Chief Michael DeMello said they hit the exterior with a large, two-and-a-half-inch line and were able to knock down the bulk of the flames quickly. They then attacked the fire where it had spread into the attic and burned through much of the roof.
The couple living inside were safely outside before firefighters arrived, and they were quickly welcomed inside by neighbors.
Chief DeMello said there are no clear indications about what started the fire. There was no fire pit, no evidence of smoking, and a grill in the back yard had not been used recently.