ARUNDEL — The cause of a fire that destroyed an Arundel home Friday afternoon has been labeled as “undetermined,” said Arundel Fire Department Dep. Chief Renald Tardif.

The first call reporting a building fire at the two-story, single family home at 728 Alfred Road (Route 111), came in around 11:30 a.m., he said, with more calls coming later.

When the first unit arrived, “they were met with heavy fire,” said Tardif.

Firefighters attempted an initial attack, but because of the amount of fire engulfing the home, they were pulled back and firefighters went on the defensive until the building came down, he said.

“The building is a total loss,” said Tardif.

The state fire marshal’s office was called in to investigate, but said the cause could not be determined due to the level of devastation, he said.

Tardif did not release the names of the residents and/or homeowner, but said no one was home at the time of the fire and no firefighters were injured.

To squelch the fire, water was accessed from a nearby dry hydrant, he said.

In addition to Arundel, departments responding to the fire came from Alfred, Biddeford, Goodwin’s Mills, Hollis, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Saco.

Traffic along the Route 111 corridor was rerouted throughout the afternoon until the scene was cleared at about 4 p.m.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.