MANCHESTER - A 10-minute fire caused $50,000 in damage Friday morning to the home of Assistant Police Chief Gary Simmons.

A neighbor across the street from 154 Peak St. reported the blaze after seeing smoke about 8:45 a.m. coming from the single family, two-story home.

District Fire Chief Al Poulin, who happened to be dropping off paperwork in the fire dispatch office, heard the call and immediately headed out to the scene.

“When I drove up, fire was coming from the pellet stove area,” he said. The stove was in a window off the dining room/kitchen area.

The first to arrive, he broke down a door but heavy smoke kept him from entering the home. No car was in the driveway or garage, a good indicator that no one was home, Poulin said.

As it turned out, no one was home but Engine 5 firefighters, who arrived shortly after Poulin, entered the home and did a “primary search” of the basement, first and second floors.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 10 minutes, containing the damage to the kitchen/dining room area.

Poulin said there was heavy smoke damage throughout the building and estimated damage at $50,000.

“Whether the pellet stove was the cause of the fire remains under investigation,” Poulin said.