Rye home's living space 'a complete loss' after overnight fire

RYE — A second-alarm fire caused severe damage to a home Sunday night and took roughly five hours to knock down.

The Rye Fire Department and numerous other local agencies responded around 10 p.m. to the fire at a two-story home at 637 Long John Road after it was reported by a neighbor, according to Lt. Jake MacGlashing. He said the resident was not home at the time.

“The main body of the house is a complete loss,” MacGlashing said.

Rye firefighters found a fire that had quickly spread to both floors, according to MacGlashing. He said the home’s living quarters and kitchen took the brunt of the damage, though firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading past a breezeway at the house and from going into an approximately 60-foot by 40-foot work space on the property.

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“We saved that side of it,” he said.

The home was not equipped with a fire alarm system, said MacGlashing. He said it is not known how long the fire had been burning before it was reported.

The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation by the state fire marshal, he said, adding no injuries were reported.

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Responding to the fire alongside the Rye Fire Department were firefighters from Portsmouth, North Hampton, Greenland, New Castle, Hampton, Newington, Seabrook, Kittery and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Town property records show the home’s current owner purchased the Long John Road residence in 1993 for $125,000. The residence’s total assessed value is $562,900.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Fire destroys Rye NH home at 637 Long John Road