LIVERMORE — More than 50 firefighters from seven towns battled a house fire on Route 108 in Livermore for more than four hours Sunday night.

A dispatcher with Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said the blaze was reported at 6:12 p.m. at 453 Canton Road, better known as Route 108, in Livermore. The homeowners, Kelly and Tina George, were not home at the time of the blaze.

Chief Donald Castonguay of the Livermore Fire Department said the couple left the home shortly after putting wood in a stove to go to the grocery store and buy dog food and brought their dogs with them. He said the two-story home was set back from the road and the fire was not detected right away.

Castonguay said by the time crews arrived on scene, the home and attached garage were fully engulfed and the roof had collapsed, making it dangerous for crews to enter the structure. Fire crews had to use an excavator to knock down the structure in order to battle hot spots. He said the home and several vehicles — including one parked next to the home and two antique vehicles — were lost in the blaze.

“We never had a chance to do anything,” Castonguay said. “It was gone when we got there. The house sets back from the road a little ways and was burning for a while before anyone even noticed it.”

Castonguay said that the home and garage were deemed a total loss and that a cause would be hard to determine because of the extent of the damage. He estimated the loss at more than $100,000.

Firefighters from the towns of Livermore, Livermore Falls, Canton, Jay, Peru, Leeds and Turner were all on scene, as well as a crew from NorthStar EMS in Farmington.

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