Fire damaged a single-family home at 61 Dean Road on Tuesday night, but no one was injured and a dog in the home was able to get out.
The Niantic, Oswegatchie and Cohanzie fire departments and the firefighter safety team from Old Saybrook assisted the Flanders Fire Department at the scene.
Regina Hart, who lives next door to the residence, said Kimberly Matlock and her two sons, who are school age, live at the house. The boys were not at home at the time of the fire, Hart said.
"I smelled something really awful and I heard yelling, but I just thought the kids were playing outside," she said. Hart said she realized later her neighbor was calling the dog to get him out. The dog, a lab mix named Woody, was able to get out of the house.