AVON — A house at 242 Avon Valley Road was destroyed by fire Friday morning.

The fire at the home of Scott Wilcox and Mary Bachelder is believed to have started around the exterior of the building, Phillips Fire Chief Mark Rousseau, said.

It may have started with a chimney fire and embers that dropped to the ground. First responders found flames and heavy smoke when they arrived, Rousseau said.

The couple was not home when the fire started. The call came in at 10:20 a.m.

Wilcox arrived home in time to get his dog out of the house and to save several personal items, Rousseau said.

One of Wilcox’s co-workers is a firefighter with the Strong Fire Department and Wilcox heard the address when the worker’s pager went off.

There is no insurance on the home. The couple said they had made arrangements for a place to stay Friday night, but Rousseau has called the American Red Cross to assist the couple.

There were no issues fighting the fire.

“We had plenty of help from our mutual aid,” Rousseau said. 

Phillips, Strong and Salem fire departments were at the scene.