NEW LIMERICK – Officials with the State Fire Marshal’s Office were trying to pinpoint Wednesday what sparked a fire that gutted a two-story home on Monday evening.

The County Road dwelling, owned by Deylo and Regina Vargas, was destroyed.

No one was living in the home at the time, although the family kept some pigs on the premises. Some of the animals perished in the fire, but no other injuries were reported.

Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said Wednesday that crews were called to the scene after a next-door neighbor reported that flames were spouting from the roof of the dwelling at around 7:52 p.m.

Twenty-four firefighters responded, the chief said, and found the structure fully engulfed in flames. Crews fought the blaze until close to midnight.

“Because of the extensive damage and at the request of the owners, we called in the fire marshal’s office,” Cone explained.

While examining the scene on Wednesday, State Fire Marshal Tim Lowell said that the investigation was ongoing.

“We have not yet determined a cause or a point of origin,” he said. “We’ll be conducting interviews in the next few days to gather more information.”

Deylo Vargas, who was digging through the rubble on Wednesday afternoon, said that the home was being remodeled so that his brother’s family could take up residence.

“They’re very upset,” he acknowledged. “We worked hard on this … it’s like in the game of Monopoly … this home was our Boardwalk.”