ORANGE — No injuries resulted from a fire that was caused by the ignition of combustible materials near a pellet stove’s flue pipe early Sunday morning, according to the town’s fire chief.

James Young said his department was dispatched to a reported residential structure fire at 95 Winter St. at 2:31 a.m. and found an occupant and all pets outside, having been safely evacuated by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the home. The on-duty crew of three firefighters responded, as well as off-duty and on-call personnel.

“I can’t say enough about the performance of our department on this fire,” Young said in an interview on Monday afternoon. “Our firefighters did a fantastic job. They worked their butts off.”

The house is deemed uninhabitable and Young said the two occupants, one of whom was not home at the time of the fire, have declined assistance from the American Red Cross. Instead, they are staying with family in Athol. He mentioned most of the house’s contents are salvageable.

Heavy smoke was showing from the first and second floors when firefighters arrived, and an initial interior crew found heavy fire in the walls and ceiling on the first floor. As soon as additional personnel arrived, a second interior crew made up of Orange and Athol firefighters went to the second floor and found heavy smoke there as well. They found the fire was breaking through to the exterior. Suppression began on the second floor, Young said.

The New Salem Fire Department then relieved the second-floor crew and worked with Orange firefighters to open up walls and ceilings and continue to suppress the fire.

Orange and Athol firefighters also worked off a roof ladder to create a vent hole above the fire. This venting, coordinated with an interior attack, suppressed the fire in the attic.

Young specifically mentioned the assistance of Orange Police Officers Donald Hager and Andrew Starbard, who he said grabbed his department’s supply line from the rear of the engine and dragged it approximately 200 feet to be connected to the nearest fire hydrant.

“They’re always good, always willing to help out,” Young said of Orange Police officers. “And that hose is not light, either — it’s heavy.”

Other fire departments that assisted, either at the scene or by providing station coverage, include Athol, New Salem, Phillipston, Warwick, Northfield, Turners Falls and Greenfield, Royalston, Shutesbury and Wendell. Wood’s Ambulance and The Salvation Army Athol Corps also responded.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.