---

MANSFIELD - It was about the most difficult spot for a house fire to be, and it stretched the capacities of several area fire departments early Saturday morning when a suspicious two-alarm fire engulfed a house on an island in Bungay Lake.

The blaze was reported by neighbors shortly after 6 a.m., and it took firefighters some time to access the lake and reach the fire scene.

The 20-foot-by-26-foot cabin, reportedly owned by a Plainville man, was destroyed.

Trees near the structure were catching fire, and there was a fear the blaze would spread to nearby homes. Electrical power was shut off to the island.

Firefighters became very creative when they responded to the blaze. With flames reaching an estimated height of 50 to 60 feet, the residents of Lakeview Avenue quickly put their pontoon boats into action. North Attleboro, Mansfield and Plainville firefighters used boats, pumps and laid a water line across the water from a fire hydrant off Lakeview Avenue, off Plain Street in Mansfield where they staged to battle the fire. Firefighters pulled hundreds of feet of hose down to the shore of the lake, boarded boats and continued to pull hoses to the large cottage. With the distance from the closest dock to the island estimated at 200 feet the empty hose lines floated on the top of the lake water until firefighters began filling the hoses with water to fight the flames.

Carl Sussenberger of 47 Lakeview Ave. and Bob Freerksen each used their pontoon boats to help firefighters pull the hose lines, and then ran firefighters by the two's three's and four's to the island. The pontoon boat piloted by Sussenberger was decorated for the lake's annual July 4th boat parade, was dubbed The Yellow Submarine, from The Beatles song.

The firefighters also brought a floating pump and extra hose line, and established a second hose, pumping water from the lake onto the burning cottage.

Sylvia Freerksen of 51 Lakeview Ave., said the cottage was mainly used in the summer, and that it was totally destroyed. She also believes the cottage has been unoccupied for a number of years and other neighbors said they didn't know who owned it.

Denise O'Connor said she was woken up when she heard police officers and fire fighters running towards her house. She then looked across the water and spotted the burning cottage.

Attleboro and Cumberland, R.I., firefighters covered the North Attleboro Fire Station, Foxboro firefighters helped out at the Mansfield station, and Wrentham firefighters covered the Plainville fire station.

Police were looking into reports neighbors observed someone leaving the island aboard and silver and white pontoon boat shortly before the fire.