GREENFIELD — Tom Tobey thought his neighbor across the street was having a bonfire Wednesday night until he realized the fire pit was on the other side of the house from the flames and heard another neighbor yell to call 911.
The glow he was seeing was actually a structure fire, which started in the house at 75 River St. around 9:45 p.m. Tobey said the owner and sole occupant, a man in his 40s, was in New Hampshire for the night. Nobody was home when the blaze started, according to Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan.
A chihuahua/terrier mix named Papi was rescued from the home by firefighters.
“I was going to go kick the door in, but this guy on the street stopped me,” Tobey said. “I knew nobody was in the house and the dog was inside.”
Firefighters let Papi out of the basement and gave him oxygen for several minutes, according to Tobey. He then brought the dog to his own house across the street.
Strahan said firefighters had the bulk of the blaze knocked down in about 20 minutes and the smoke was nearly cleared by 10:45 p.m.
“Crews found a large volume of fire in the rear of the building on the first floor,” he said. “They did a quick, aggressive interior attack.”
Strahan said the fire extended past the first floor, into the attic space and the basement.
“There’s extensive fire damage and water damage throughout the house,” he said.
The cause of the fire was unknown Wednesday night, according to Strahan, who said the State Fire Marshal’s Office will assist the Greenfield Police and Fire departments in their investigation.
In addition to Greenfield, the Turners Falls, Deerfield, South Deerfield and Bernardston fire departments responded to the scene while Shelburne Center and Brattleboro covered the station.
Strahan said nobody was injured, but Tobey added he was unsure if his neighbor’s cats were in the house at the time, as they often stay outdoors when it’s warm out.
“The firefighters did an amazing job. They heard me and went and got the dog before they did anything,” Tobey said.