Wells firefighters battle a blaze on Wire Road on Tuesday. Several acres around the residence were also on fire throughout the afternoon. Officials are still unsure what caused the fires. (Daniel Limmer / for the Press Herald)

WELLS - State fire officials are investigating the cause of a two-acre fire that destroyed a Wells home and barn today.

The main house was gutted but still standing, while a nearby barn was completely destroyed. Another small shed was also damaged by the fire. Surrounding brush also caught fire and the flames extended 600 feet into nearby woods and burned more than two acres.

Wells Fire Chief Daniel Moore Chief More said it was unknown if the fire started as a brush fire and spread to the house, or vice versa.

Homeowner Rosemary Spearin arrived as firefighters were still putting out the remnants of the fire. About a dozen southern Maine fire departments responded to the call at 745 Wire Road.

Spearin, who has lived here for 11 years, said she got a call from one of her two school-aged children and several other people about the fire.

Spearin said she is in the midst of opening a designer clothing resale store in Ogunquit, and her entire winter inventory was in the barn that burned to the ground.

"I don't know what to do. What do you do in this situation?" she said. “My inventory was in there. I can live with that, but my house, my house."

Her dogs, she said, were safe. Neighbors were taking care of a Labradoodle and an aging chocolate Lab.

The fire was first spotted by volunteer fire tower watchers at Ossipee Hill and called in about 10:42 a.m.

Moore said a lack of water in the rural, wooded neighborhood made it difficult to fight the fire.

"That's the chance you take when you live in rural America," he said.