An electrical fire brought heavy damage to a Pittsfield residence yesterday afternoon, though there were no reported injuries.

The two-alarm blaze that ripped through the white, two-story house at 25 River Road began shortly before 12:30 p.m., said Pittsfield fire Lt. Nicholas Abell. Eight crews from surrounding towns responded to the fire, which was under control in about 40 minutes.

Abell said it appeared the fire started either in the kitchen or bathroom on the first floor of the house and was caused by a circuit breaker that tripped in the basement. The first floor was heavily charred and significant heat damage, Abell said, estimating it would cost up to $100,000 to repair the home.

"The building itself is in complete disrepair," he said.

It was unclear yesterday whether anyone was living in the house, and no one was there when the fire broke out. Based on a preliminary investigation of the scene, it did not appear that anyone had been living there at the time, Abell said.

"As far as we know, the house was vacant," he said. "We have heard that a gentleman came to check on the house."

According to town records, the home belongs to Henry and Marie Boermeester, neither of whom could be reached yesterday for comment. The home had an appraised value of $135,000.

Neighbors said the Boermeesters had recently moved to Florida. According to neighbor Denise Patterson, the Boermeesters' son, John, lived at the house full time. Patterson said she believes the son is in his 20s and works second-shift.

"He's usually home during the day, but I guess it's good he wasn't," Patterson said. "It's sad. I just feel so bad for John."

River Road was closed to traffic for about an hour as fire trucks doused the flames with water from the nearby Suncook River. A crowd stood on nearby lawns to watch the firefighters at work.

Epsom resident Emily Saunders and Ashley Maselli of Northwood said they were washing their clothes at a nearby laundry when they noticed thick, dark smoke coming from the back of the house.

"I looked to (Maselli) and said, 'That house is definitely on fire,' " said Saunders, who's 25. "You could see a huge cloud of smoke but no flames. It was crazy."