(Published in print: Thursday, March 24, 2016)

It appears spontaneous combustion started a two-alarm fire in a newly remodeled home on Carley Road Wednesday morning, according to fire officials.

Peterborough Fire Chief Ed Walker and Deputy Brian Wall suspect sawdust and rags soaked with floor-finishing material ignited in the foyer of the one-story home.

Owners Wayne Murray and Sarah Sherburne escaped, with only Murray suffering a minor, first-degree burn to his face, said Wall. He was treated on-scene, and refused transport to the hospital.

Murray discovered the fire just before 8 a.m. He was out walking his dog when the fire started, said Wall. When Murray opened the door to the foyer, the fire “blasted” him back, said Wall. Murray grabbed a garden rake to clear the burning debris out of the house. But flames had already spread into a first-floor room in the ranch-style home.

There was no major structural damage to the building, and Murray and Sherburne had moved belongings and furniture away from the foyer because of the renovation work.

Murray and Sherburne were in the process of remodeling the house, which was built in 1770, according to information provided by the Peterborough Assessing Department. Murray and Sherburne purchased the house at the end of November, and started to remodel a few weeks later, according to a building permit they were issued Dec. 18. The rags and floor sandings were left outside Tuesday, said Walker, and were brought inside later because rain was in the forecast.

Firefighters arrived at 8:01 a.m., entering the home by extinguishing the flames spilling out the front door, as smoke poured out of the attic. A distraught Murray and Sherburne watched from an orange Subaru hatchback as firefighters put out the fire. When Wall arrived on-scene at about 8 a.m., Capt. Ernest Belletete of the Peterborough Police was with Murray and Sherburne.

The fire was contained by 8:30 a.m., according to the Peterborough Fire Department.

Eyewitnesses declined to comment that morning, but were heard saying it was “heartbreaking” that Murray and Sherburne had just moved into the home.

Mark Hetzel, a Candia electrician, pulled up to the house across the street just as firefighters were arriving. Hetzel said he saw flames spilling out the front corner of the home with the doors open.

​The fire department estimated the damage at $50,000.

Jaffrey and Antrim Fire put out the fire alongside Peterborough Fire. They were assisted by fire crews from Hancock, Greenfield, Milford, Keene and Temple. Eversource Energy shut off the power to the residence, and American Red Cross is working with the residents.

Benji Rosen can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 228, or brosen@ledgertranscript.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenjiRosenMLT