An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire that tore through a historic home in Fall River Monday afternoon.

 

Firefighters were called to the corner of Locust and Rock streets just after 3 p.m. for reports of flames shooting from the back of the home.

 

The Fall River Historic Commission lists the house at 386-388 Locust Street as a Gothic Revival home built circa 1848, called the Albert S. Clark House. It’s included on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Fall River’s Highlands Historical District.

 

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said the flames raced up the back of the house toward the roof and into the attic.

Bacon said the house’s age and its wood frame, as well as the style of the architecture, gave the fire ample time to intensify.

 

“That wood has been drying through hot summers for nearly 180 years,” Bacon explained. “Once the fire got into those void spaces, we couldn’t get to it without pulling walls and ceilings down.”

 

See more at wpri.com.