WILTON —  An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office was called to the scene of a Wednesday morning house fire at 19 Jay Street in Wilton.

“We have some ideas, but we’ll let [the investigator] make the call,” Wilton Fire Chief Sonny Dunham said of the cause of the fire that started in the front second-floor bedroom. 

While flames were contained to that one bedroom, the whole home was damaged by smoke and water, Dunham said.

The home is owned by Anna Powers and Jane Roberts. Roberts was out of town, and Powers had taken her husband, John David Roberts, to work.  

When she got back to the house, Powers said she fell asleep in her truck in the driveway.

A family friend, Alicia Mitchell, arrived shortly before 10 a.m. and didn’t see her in the truck.

She went into the house.  When she didn’t find Powers in the living room, she started up the stairs. After a couple steps, she couldn’t breathe because of the smoke, she said.  She dialed 911.

There are five dogs and several cats living at the property. The dogs were fine but Powers was not sure about the cats.

Dunham said firefighters found no cats in the house at that point.

About 25 firefighters from Jay, Livermore Falls, Farmington and East Dixfield helped Wilton Fire Department at the scene. NorthStar Ambulance and Wilton Police also arrived to help at the scene.

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