No one was hurt in a barn fire Sunday morning at 3000 Milton Mills in Acton near the New Hampshire border.

Firefighters from Acton and surrounding communities managed to keep the fire from spreading to the attached farmhouse. The homeowner, Virginia Mee, 92, was home at the time but was not hurt. A pet bird died of smoke inhalation in the house, which received only minor smoke damage, said Acton Fire Chief Peter Smith.

There were no animals in the barn. The fire spread to two adjacent homes, all part of a village area that straddles Acton and Milton Mills, New Hampshire. Firefighters managed to quickly put it out and the buildings had only minor exterior damage, Smith said.

Smith said the barn was engulfed in flames when the fire was reported about 10:15 a.m. The fire was extinguished by noon.

The 30-by-60-foot wooden structure was destroyed, Smith said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze, Smith said.

Neighbor Steve Clough said his wife had spotted the smoke coming from the barn.

“I immediately said, ‘That’s just fog’ and she said, ‘You better look again,'” said Clough.

Clough called it in but another neighbor, who is an emergency medical worker married to a firefighter, had already reported it. Clough said the response from the fire department was almost immediate.

“We are very fortunate. Their timing saved our place,” said Clough.

Clough said Mee is staying with her daughter, who lives around the corner.

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