Mass. House Fire Hit Quickly

March 18--SEABROOK -- An off-duty firefighter is being credited for spotting smoke coming from a Worthley Avenue house yesterday morning allowing firefighters to douse a small fire inside before it got out of control, according to a local fire official.

No one was injured and no pets were involved when local firefighters, along with firefighters from neighboring Amesbury, responded to a one-alarm fire at 35 Worthley Ave. around 11 a.m.

Seabrook fire Deputy Chief Lawrence Perkins said the house was unoccupied when fire began underneath the structure. Fire officials were still determining the point of origin and what might have caused the fire, but Perkins said the fire appeared to be accidental in nature.

"Very severe smoke conditions," Perkins said, adding the fire was spotted by a Seabrook Fire Department captain who lives close by and called authorities when he saw smoke.

Neighbors watched as firefighters used a chainsaw to vent a hole in the roof, allowing smoke to pour out. A man and woman who said they lived next door to the house said the owner wasn't home at the time. Both neighbors said that someone banged on their front door and implored them to evacuate when it became apparent a fire had started next door.

Perkins said the house sustained significant smoke damage and would be uninhabitable until repaired.

According to the Seabrook assessor's office database, the property is owned by Drita Docnoka and was last assessed at $146,900. Worthley Avenue is located just over the Salisbury border and is connected to the Massachusetts town by Seabrook Road.

Copyright 2014 - The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.