While they say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, it would be hard to convince a Massachusetts family of that after a portion of their summer home was gutted by flames early Saturday morning — just days after heavy snow caused the roof of the garage to collapse.

According to Meredith Fire Chief Charles "Chuck" Palm, a Veasey Shore Road resident woke just after midnight Saturday to see a glow coming from down the road.

When the glow became brighter, the neighbor called Emergency 911 and when firefighters arrived, Palm said flames were shooting from the roof and windows of one half of a guest house in the D'Auria family compound.

Although there was no one home when the blaze began, Palm said family members had recently been to the compound to shovel snow from the roofs of the two houses after heavy snow collapsed their three-car garage.

"It appeared snow and ice covered an exhaust vent for the furnace," said Palm who added an ice chunk whacked a liquid propane line feeding into the house.

Palm said over a period of three or four days, the propane built up in the space between the crack in the pipe and the snow piled outside the home. He said it appears the furnace ignited the propane.

"It was like having a propane torch aiming inside the home," said Palm.

IT WAS EARLIER THIS MONTH when a heavy snow load collapsed the roof on this Veasey Shore Road garage. Early Saturday morning, fire tore through one of the houses in the lakefront compound. (GAIL OBER/Citizen photo) Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

Firefighters from Center Harbor, Moultonborough, Laconia, and Holderness battled the flames and were able to stop the spread of the fire to an adjoining house about 10 feet away.

"There was a little melting of the vinyl siding," said Palm who added the one-half of the building with the fire was completely destroyed while there was extensive smoke and water damage to the other side.

One unidentified firefighter was taken by ambulance to Lakes Region General Hospital for a leg injury that was the result of a fall on the ice.

Palm said residents need to be aware of where they've piled the snow from their cleared roofs and to ensure they not blocked emergency exits and vents or piled snow atop gas or propane lines.

A 2008 Meredith appraisal listed the homeowners as Louis and Emily D'Auria and valued the property at $1.8 million. The Citizen was unable to reach the family.

A similar incident earlier this month at Vista Foods brought firefighters from three communities to Laconia after a bucket loader operator accidentally broke a natural gas line that was blocked by snow cleared from the roof.