Photo by MERRIMACK FIRE RESCUE Smoke pours from a doorway of a Merrimack condominium Tuesday as firefighters prepare to make their way in to conduct a search and battle the flames. Sadly, two dogs perished in the blaze.

MERRIMACK – A residence on Quails Way in the Ravencroft Condominium Community sustained extensive damage early Tuesday afternoon, the result of a fire that may have begun in the kitchen of the two-story, detached condo, according to officials.

The fire was the second house fire in Merrimack in just over 24 hours. On Monday morning, flames destroyed a shed and its contents and damaged part of a large, century-old home on Daniel Webster Highway just north of the Merrimack Public Library.

While no firefighters or civilians were injured in both fires, Tuesday’s blaze did claim the lives of two dogs, despite firefighters’ efforts to locate and rescue them from the burning condo.

Fire Marshal John Manuele said crews were called at 12:35 p.m. Tuesday to 1 Quails Way by neighbors who reported smoke and flames visible from the home.

Two engines, a ladder truck and ambulance responded with members of the command staff, and upon confirming a structure fire, a working fire assignment was requested.

That brought Merrimack Rescue 1 to the scene, as well as an engine and ladder from Nashua. An engine from Manchester covered Merrimack’s main station, Manuele said.

Upon their arrival, the first crews in were met with “extremely hot and smoky conditions,” Manuele said, adding that they also encountered “a large kitchen fire” that hindered their primary search efforts.

The arrival of additional crews, who began venting the building by opening holes in the roof, allowed firefighters to make their way through the entire residence.

They came across the two dogs during the search, and removed them at the request of the homeowners, Manuele said.

The bulk of the fire was knocked down within a half-hour of crews’ arrival, but they remained on the scene “for some time” in order to locate and extinguish hot spots, as well as conduct salvage operations, he added.

The blaze left the home uninhabitable, Manuele said. While the kitchen was destroyed, the rest of the home sustained heavy heat and smoke damage.

The cause of the fire, and its exact point of origin, remains under investigation, Manuele said.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.