BERNE — The house at 1580 Helderberg trail that caught fire Monday morning is a total loss but its resident escaped unharmed.

“He was awakened by a sound and able to escape,” said Mary Alice Molgard, who handles public relations for the Berne Volunteer Fire Department.

“I live like five houses away,” she said, “and when I stepped out of my house to get in my truck to go to the firehouse, I could see flames from my house. It was completely engulfed before we got there.”

Starting at 5 a.m., it took about an hour to get the blaze under control, she said, as volunteers from both the Berne and East Berne departments worked to keep the fire from spreading.

“Nothing could be saved,” said Molgard of the two-story wood-frame house that had a tin roof.

The house just to the east, at 1578 Helderberg Trail, sustained some damage.

“The plastic shutters on the side of the house melted and there was a broken window or two but not serious damage to that house,” said Molgard.

Asked about the cause of the fire, Molgard said, “They think it may have been a wood stove.”

The Berne and East Berne firefighters got mutual aid from the Knox, Westerlo, Oesquethaw, and Gallupville volunteers, Molgard said. Altamont helped with setting up a water supply, according to a post from that department.

“It was actively snowing for part of the time, but the cold is always a problem,” said Molgard. “Pieces of equipment do freeze up. We were able to get water fairly quickly on the fire but the fire was just too advanced. There wasn’t any real way to save the house.”

Also, she said, “It was difficult underfoot. It got very icy on the street,” she said, “but the county came through with one of their small plows and laid down some sand,” which kept the firefighters from slipping on the ice.

According to Albany County assessment rolls, the property at 1580 Helderberg Trail is owned by Joshua Mills and has a full-market value of $276,316.

Molgard, who also volunteers as a publicist for the Red Cross, said that he declined help from the Red Cross but he could always ask for help later.

“He was overwhelmed,” she said. “We took him up to the East Berne firehouse because they were already open as a warming center. So we had personnel there who would be able to prepare him coffee or whatever he needed while everybody else was out fighting the fire.”