ATHOL—A house fire on Froman Street left the home uninhabitable, but efforts by fire crews allowed occupants to claim some personal possessions.

According to Athol Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Parker, the fire at 61 Froman St. was reported at 3:20 a.m. on Monday morning. Parker said the garage of the ranch-style home was the only section initially involved, but this soon spread to part of the home. The occupants had all evacuated and no one was injured, though their dog may have suffered minor injuries.

Parker said there were several small explosions from propane canisters in the garage, which forced crews to exercise more caution as they fought the blaze. In addition, the fire burned off a power line and National Grid was called to cut power to the house.

“We had to be cautious until we got around the downed power line,” Parker said.

Phillipston, Orange and Gardner provided mutual aid, while crews from Barre and Royalston handled station coverage. Athol Police and the town’s Department of Public Works also responded to the scene. Parker added that an investigation team from Massachusetts Fire District 8 responded to determine the cause of the fire. Parker said that at this time, an exact cause is not yet known, but it does not appear to be suspicious.

“It was a good job by the firefighters,” he said.

Parker said that between 25 and 30 firefighters responded in total, adding that due to their efforts, the occupants were able to re-enter the home to collect personal possessions, though the house is a total loss.

Max Bowen can be reached at 413-930-4074 or at mbowen@recorder.com.

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