ALBANY — Wood piled too close to a woodstove apparently was the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home on Bald Hill Road Saturday afternoon.

When firefighters arrived, it was not immediately clear whether anyone was inside the smoke-filled home, so they searched the structure to make sure no one was trapped inside, according to Stephen Solomon, chief of Conway Fire Department, which provides fire services for the town.

Albany Selectman Jack Rose, who lives a few streets away, visited the fire scene Saturday. He said fire officials told him a woodpile was stacked too close to a woodstove and apparently caught fire.

Rose said the resident, Nancy Drew, plans to stay with her daughter, who lives in Conway.

“It's a total loss,” he said. “It's a shame, because now she's out of a place to live.”

The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m.

Chief Solomon said the age and construction of the pre-1900, two-story home, as well as the “volume of building contents,” made the fire difficult to extinguish. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control, and fire crews remained at the scene until after 4 p.m.