ROCKPORT — Greg and Trina Rollins of West Rockport awoke just before midnight Wednesday and discovered the front of their house was on fire. Unable to get out of the house through the front, they were forced to flee out the back into the dark.

A lieutenant with the fire department, Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley said Rollins began fighting the fire before others got there. The couple live on Rollins Lane, located off Route 17, just west of the intersection of Route 90. The fire department was toned out at 12:05 a.m.

"The front of the house was on fire and the phones were dead," said Peasley. "Trina dialed 911 and Greg went to the West Rockport fire station, hit the siren and woke firefighters up and brought an engine back to the house."

The Rollins’ home is located just a couple of minutes drive from the West Rockport fire station.

Mutual aid to battle the blaze at the Rollins' 1-1/2 story house with a farmer's porch was provided by Rockland, Warren and Hope. Nineteen firefighters from Rockport were on hand, said Peasley.

The fire began at the front of the house, destroying the porch, igniting the wood shingles and entering through button vents and into the rafters.

"It's believed the fire was burning a good 15 minutes before they knew it," said Peasley. "But the smoke detectors saved their lives, and they were still going off while we were fighting the fire."

Peasley said the house was heavily damaged and will require a major rebuild. The kitchen and two of three bedrooms were a total loss.

Firefighters remained on scene until close to 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The state Fire Marshal's Office has been contacted to confirm the cause, but Peasley said it appears that a low-voltage transformer, mounted to the front of the porch and used to run landscape lighting, was the likely source.

"We had unlimited amounts of water due to a farm pond on the property, but a lot of manpower and air tanks were expended on the ceiling, where we had to get through three layers to access the rafters, where the fire had extended," said Peasley.

Firefighter Phil Brown said that the couple has been in the house since 1982, having built it from the ground up.

"That makes it harder for everyone, this happening to one of our brothers," said Peasley.

"Watching Trina, wrapped in a blanket with tears streaming down as we pulled the ceiling down, was a surreal experience," said Brown. "They lost their house and all their belongings, but they have their lives and nobody was hurt. It's a tragedy, but nobody was hurt."

Peasley said the fire department is serving as a collection location for donations of goods and money for the Rollins family.

Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.