Fire heavily damaged a farmhouse built in the 1800s in Eliot, displacing a mother and her children on Christmas Eve.

Firefighters working in frigid conditions at the home on Frost Hill Road brought the fire under control quickly, according to the South Berwick Fire Department, which responded to the fire along with the Eliot Fire Department.

The Eliot Library Association said a mother and her two daughters were living at the two-story farmhouse. A collection was accepting donations of coats, gift cards plus other basic items like towels and socks at the Eliot Cumberland Farms on Sunday morning.

Eliot Fire Chief Jay Muzeroll told NewsCenter Maine they were able to find someplace else to spend Christmas. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the chief.

Firefighters from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and York Beach also responded to the fire, according to their respective Facebook pages.

Photos of the fire show flames and thick black smoke billowing from a room on the second floor of the wood structure on Frost Hill Road before spreading to the rest of the second floor.

According to compass.com, the four bedroom farmhouse was built in 1855 on four acres of land sold in March.

The Eliot Fire Department on Sunday morning did not respond to Seacoast Current's request for more information about the fire.

Photos courtesy Robert Nettles Photography

Smoke billows from an 1800s farmhouse in Eliot 12/24/22
Smoke billows from an 1800s farmhouse in Eliot 12/24/22 (Robert Nettles Photography)
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Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

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