New Gloucester Fire & Rescue was dispatched at 9:05 a.m. on Thursday to 44 Targett Road in New Gloucester. A neighbor, while shoveling snow, noticed smoke coming from the eaves of the Ranch-style home and called 911.

According to Capt. Scott Doyle, when firefighters first arrived smoke could be seen from the eaves. Firefighters quickly located the blaze in the kitchen. The fire was knocked down within minutes of firefighters entering the home. The fire appeared to be in the kitchen area only. Heavy smoke and heat damaged other parts of the home, Doyle said.

“The bedroom doors were closed in the home,” Doyle said. “This kept fire, the heavy smoke and heat from entering the bedrooms until we opened them up. This saved many of their belongings from being engulfed.”

No one was home at the time of the fire. The homeowners left for work early in the morning. They didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary before leaving. A dog and cat perished in the fire, and two other cats were missing. The cause of the fire has been ruled as unknown, Doyle said.

The overall structure of the home was kept from being damaged. Sheetrock and personal items in the home sustained damage throughout the kitchen, living room, hallway and bathroom. The fire was extinguished with about 500 gallons of water.

“The home did have a smoke detector, it was unclear if it was operable, prior to the department’s response. The homeowners also had cleared the latest round of snow from their driveway, deck and paths. This was very helpful for gaining access to the fire and opening doors to enter the home and to release the hot gases,” Doyle said.

New Gloucester firefighters were assisted by the towns of Gray, Poland, Durham and Raymond. No one was injured at the emergency scene.

Firefighters responded to a single-family home at 44 Targett Road in New Gloucester on Thursday.The entryway to the home was destroyed by fire.