DIXFIELD – Fire caused an estimated $50,000 to $60,000 in damage Wednesday to a Dixfield house built in 1900, leaving a Main Street couple homeless, according to officials.

Homeowners Kelly Oldham and his wife had left the house early Wednesday morning and were in Fryeburg when their 1-story gray-and-green house with attached shed and garage caught fire at 12:06 p.m., fire Chief Scott Dennett said Wednesday afternoon. There were no injuries.

Dennett said the cause appeared to be electrical.

“It looks like it originated in an area where there was a light bulb fixture under a stairway,” Dennett said. “The interior suffered heavy fire damage in the stairway and kitchen areas and extensive smoke damage in the rest of the house.”

An estimated 40 firefighters from Dixfield, Mexico, Rumford and Peru responded, achieving quick knockdown after entering through a front door, fire Lt. Geoff Low said. Med-Care Ambulance also stood by to assist firefighters.

Area police shut down traffic into town along Main Street, also called Route 2, for about two hours, creating long lines of frustrated drivers.

The fire was just east of the fire station. When firefighters arrived, they were met by heavy smoke streaming from windows and eaves, but no visible fire, Low said. But when firefighters entered the front door, they met heavy fire near a stairway to the second floor.

“One of the problems we had was we had to dig around for hidden fires. That’s why we’ve been here so long,” Low said.

The fire spread into walls and ceilings and extended into the upper story and had to be rooted out and extinguished.

At about 3 p.m., when only a handful of Dixfield firefighters remained, smoke was seen rising from one of the eaves, prompting a revisit from a Dixfield tanker and firefighters armed with a water hose and chain saw to get to the hot spot.

Dennett said the Oldham’s declined offered assistance from Red Cross, opting to stay with a relative.