NEW VINEYARD – A fire that started around a chimney late Thursday heavily damaged the home of Alyce and Jonathan Cavanaugh at 406 Church St., Fire Chief Doug Churchill said.

Smoke detectors alerted the couple to the fire, he said.

Both were able to get out safely.

About 30 firefighters from New Vineyard, Farmington, New Portland, Strong and Kingfield departments responded to the fire call about 11:30 p.m. and worked into the early hours Friday.

Flames were already showing from windows on the second floor when firefighters arrived, Churchill said.

Firefighters shuttled water from a brook off Route 234, about two miles away, he said.

Jonathan Cavanaugh and a firefighter were able to get the family’s two cats out, he said.

The fire was out about 2:30 a.m., he said. New Vineyard firefighters left the scene about 3:30 a.m. Churchill said he went back to check on it later to make sure it didn’t rekindle.

State fire investigator Ed Hastings was on the scene Friday morning to try to determine the cause, he said.

“The actual cause of the fire is undetermined but we know it started around the chimney,” Churchill said, on the south side of the house.

Fire heavily damaged one end of the two-story house and there was major smoke and water damage throughout the structure, he said.

Hastings was unavailable for comment Friday.

Alyce Cavanaugh is SAD 9’s school health coordinator and her husband, Jon, is a correspondent for The Franklin Journal in Farmington and a New Vineyard Planning Board member.

Churchill said the couple had property insurance.