A single-family home at 67 Whipple Road in Kittery was heavily damaged by a fire Saturday afternoon.

Kittery Fire Chief David O’Brien said the fire, which was reported at 5:27 p.m., was caused by improperly disposed smoking materials and is not suspicious. It started on the porch and quickly engulfed the two-story wooden structure which is located across the street from Gate 2 of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard .

O’Brien said about 35 firefighters from Kittery and surrounding communities responded to the scene and provided station coverage, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Eliot, York and the New Hampshire communities of Portsmouth, Rye, Greenland and Newcastle.

Route 103 was shut down for three hours.

O’Brien said the fire was contained by 6:20 p.m. Firefighters cleared the scene at 8:30 p.m.

One fire firefighter received an eye injury and was treated and released at York Hospital.

O’Brien said the husband and wife who lived in the home have found alternative living quarters. O’Brien said he was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the wife. O’Brien said she was more upset that the fire had disrupted the firefighters’ lives than she was about the fire.

“These people had lost a lot but this woman was amazing,” said O’Brien.

 


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