ANDOVER - A large old log cabin at the southern end of Lower Richardson Lake was gutted by flames Thursday night, Assistant Chief Rob Dixon of the Andover Fire Department said. No one was injured.

The fire started behind a gas-powered refrigerator on the first floor of the 30- by 30-foot two-story building on South Arm Road near the public boat landing. The camp, which may be one of the original ones on the lake, is owned by Daphne "Honey" Cronin of Stillman Avenue in Andover and several others, Dixon said.

"It was beautiful, and it was on a corner spot overlooking the entire lake," he said.

He termed the fire accidental.

Cronin was at the public boat landing doing milfoil inspections when someone notified her of the fire and she went to the camp, the assistant chief said.

The fire was reported at 7:45 p.m. by Mexico firefighters Mat and Jamee Theriault, who were staying at South Arm Campground in the area of the boat landing and had just launched their craft onto the lake. When they spotted the flames, Dixon said, they returned to shore, grabbed their gear, went to the camp and removed two propane tanks to eliminate the possibility of explosions, he said.

Then, "they waited for us to get up there," Dixon said. "It takes a long time to get up there, 20 minutes to half an hour" from the station.

When firefighters arrived the building was engulfed in flames, and there was little they could do because of their number, he said.

"The only real problem was the lack of personnel initially. There was no one to help establish the water supply" from the lake, Dixon said.

Rumford's department assisted, bringing the total force at the scene to 12, he said.

By the time it was quelled, the second floor had collapsed onto the first, he said.

The names of the other owners were not immediately available. There was no estimate of damage Thursday night and it was not known if the camp was insured.

"She said he hoped so," Dixon said of Cronin.