Firefighters battle flames Tuesday at a duplex on County Road in Turner. The lone tenant arrived home to find flames coming up the side of the building, Fire Chief Nick Merry said. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

TURNER — When a County Road tenant pulled into their driveway Tuesday after an out-of-state trip, they found flames climbing up the side of the duplex, resulting in a total loss, fire officials said.

Turner Fire Rescue Chief Nick Merry said no one was injured and all pets— nine or 10 kittens, one cat and one dog— were safely removed.

Crews responded to 124 County Road around 2:28 p.m. just minutes after the tenant reported it upon returning from an out-of-state trip, he said. The tenant was the only occupant of the building.

Met by heavy fire, crews tried unsuccessfully to douse flames on one side of the building, but they spread through the attic to the other side, Merry said. They were forced to fight the flames from the outside.

Firefighters from multiple towns respond Tuesday to a house fire on County Road in Turner. No one was injured at the duplex and 12 pets were saved, Chief Nick Merry said. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Fire and water damage resulted in the building being a complete loss.

An investigator from the Office of State Fire Marshal was called to the scene and the fire remains under investigation, Merry said.

Assisting Turner Fire & Rescue were departments from Auburn, Buckfield, Greene, Jay, Leeds, Livermore, Minot, Monmouth, Sabattus and Wales.