RANGELEY PLANTATION – Fire destroyed an unoccupied house under construction 500 to 600 feet off Route 17, just before the first overlook of Rangeley Lake, early Wednesday morning, Rangeley fire Chief Rudy Davis said.

“It was pretty much fully involved when we got there,” he said.

There was a big glow in the sky that firefighters could see as they drove toward the site.

Someone passing by called in the fire at 4:29 a.m.

“We have no idea what started the fire,” Davis said. State fire investigators were called in to help and were conducting interviews Wednesday to help determine the cause.

“I feel strongly it was not intentional,” Davis said.

The house is owned by Gary Dunaenko, and was “pretty well along” in the construction process, Davis said, estimating it was at least three-quarters finished.

Electricity was being provided by a generator to build the home that Davis estimated was valued at more than $500,000.

The Dunaenko family lives out of the area but it was unclear where. Davis said he had been at the fire scene most of the day and hadn’t had a chance to review the full report by late afternoon.

The family, who the chief believed to be insured, had hoped to move in to the house in February. They already had a lot of personal belongings there that were also destroyed by the blaze, Davis said.

More than 15 firefighters responded from Rangeley and Eustis with eight trucks, seven from Rangeley and one from Eustis, its 3,000-gallon tanker.

There was one engine set up at the house and another near the bottom that pumped water from a portable dump tank up to the truck at the house, Davis said.

“We shuttled water from Narramantic boat landing on Rangeley Lake,” he said. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the ice to get to the water, he added.

The driveway to the house was not plowed and a plow truck was called in to clear the snow and sand it. The first truck made it up but it was touch and go for a bit, he said.

No one was injured, Davis said.