UPDATED: Two-Alarm Fire Destroys Interior of Cottage Street Home

A two-alarm afternoon fire at 5 Cottage St., caused "extensive" damage to the interior of the residence, fire officials said Wednesday.

There were no injuries reported among residents who escaped the blaze, Salem firefighters or mutual aid responders.

Officials responded to the fire at approximately 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Just after 4 p.m., a heavy cloud of white smoke hung over Highland Avenue as firefighters worked to finish knocking down the blaze.

Though the blaze is still under investigation,  Salem Deputy Chief Gerry Giunta said it appeared the fire began on the exterior of the home and "came up the outside," into the eaves and the roof.

"It worked its way across the roof under" from one side of the house to the other, Giunta explained.

Giunta said he activated the second alarm on the fire between 10 and 15 minutes into the effort to extinguish flames for "the safety of firefighters." In particular, Giunta said he was concerned about "the situation in the attic," which held the risk of a "flashover" for personnel working to extinguish the fire above their heads.

Firefighters fought the blaze by "going inside and pulling the ceiling down," Giunta explained. They also vented the fire on two sides of the home.

Giunta said Marblehead provided mutual aid. Other departments including Peabody, Beverly and Swampscott helped with station coverage.

Giunta said the fire is still under investigation, but said there were some reports that smoke was in the area as "long as one and a half hours" before the blaze began. According to the deputy fire chief, pre-fire smoke was described as a "slight haze," similar to a cloud that would be created by dust from a leaf-blower.

Neighbor Lynn Lavoie said "there were flames under the deck and the next thing you knew, it [the house] was engulfed." Lavoie said the fire moved "very fast."

Friends Rusty Fairfield and Peter Lippens of Peabody, who shop at nearby Market Basket on Highland Avenue, said they were in Peabody Square when they smelled what they thought was smoke from a brush fire.

After the fire was put out, hot spots were still smoking as late as 4:45 p.m. Siding on the corner of a home adjacent to the residence at 5 Cottage St. was also visibly melted, a result of the heat.