Oak Bluffs firefighters responded to a fast-moving fire that swept through a single-family home on Carole avenue on Monday. No one was injured in the blaze, although the home was a complete loss.

The fire department was called to the fire at 29 Carole avenue off of County Road at 11:45 a.m., fire chief Peter Forend said. The home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, with smoke and flames coming out of the roof and back kitchen area.

The owners of the home, Jack D’Arcy and his wife, Kimberly, and their two small children, were not at home.

All five Oak Bluffs fire trucks — four engines and a ladder truck — responded, as well as an engine from the Tisbury fire department. Police blocked off traffic in the area while firefighters used an aerial ladder to reach the roof and a chain saw to cut into the roof to release built-up heat and gasses, Chief Forend said.

Firefighters entered the first floor of the home with water lines and tried to knock the flames down. But once the roof was vented, the building began to tilt and the first-floor ceiling showed signs of collapsing, and Chief Forend immediately pulled his men out.

“Once the roof started to cave we got them out of there . . . we switched from an offensive attack to a defensive [approach] very quickly,” he said.

Firefighters used the aerial platform to attack the flames from above with their hoses, and all visible flames were extinguished around 12:15 p.m., the chief said. All told, about 50 firefighters responded to the scene, and the chief lauded the men for their work.

“Considering the location and the narrow street, it was a hard fire to fight. They did a great job,” he said.

He said investigators determined the fire was caused by an unattended pot left on the stove.

Speaking with with the Gazette yesterday, Mr. D’Arcy said his wife had been boiling four pots of water to give their children baths after returning from an early morning trip to the beach. She was boiling the water because of the boil-water order that had been in effect in town since Friday due to coliform bacteria found in the town water supply.

The chief said the burner likely ignited the countertop, which then spread to the wooden kitchen cabinets.

Mr. D’Arcy said he learned about the fire a few minutes after it began, and as he approached the scene he said he took comfort in knowing that his wife and children were not at home and were safe. As firefighters battled the blaze, Mr. D’Arcy watched from a neighbor’s lawn and was soon joined by his wife and children.

He said his extended family had visited the Island the previous day for a christening and many were still around when the fire occurred. “I get so used to being on an Island and not having my family around. And here I am watching my house burn and all my family is there . . . it was sort of surreal,” Mr. D’Arcy said.

He said the community response was immediate. While the fire burned, people approached him on the street and put money in his hand. Since the fire, he has received a steady stream of calls from friends and neighbors offering help.

“I thought I had all the things I needed in life . . . clothes, fishing poles, television sets. But it’s strange, after the fire I don’t feel like I lost anything. I still have my wife, my kids and my family. All the things in the house were just material possessions, they can be replaced, but I still have all the things that are the most important to me,” he said.

“People have been spectacular . . . my kids already have brand new clothes and toys. It makes you appreciate where you live.”