MILFORD - The manager of the Milford Corner Store say its too early to decide if it will re-open after the building suffered heavy smoke and water damage from a fire Monday evening.

Manager Scott Pickwick was at the store early Tuesday afternoon with the owner Theresa Bouchard, waiting for investigators and officials from the insurance company to arrive.

He said the second floor and attic are a total loss, and none of the merchandise is salvageable. Bouchard added that they had only three hours sleep since the fire and were still dealing with the shock of what had happended.

At least a dozen fire departments responded to the fire, which engulfed the roof of the Milford Corner Store at 8 p.m. Monday.

The building was salvageable but suffered heavy water and smoke damage, said Milford Fire Chief Richard Devlin Jr.

About 60 to 70 firefighters had the blaze under control by about 9:30 p.m., he said. No injuries were reported.

Because the fire could have spread to two adjoining buildings, it was considered major, Devlin said, and many departments were called. These buildings suffered some water damage, but the fire did not extend to the structures, he said.

Devlin was the first to call in the fire; he spotted it after leaving the Milford Fire Department chicken barbecue.

"The whole top of the building was on fire," he said. "It was quite a shock."

Devlin said he ran into the store and alerted a female employee, who was unaware of the fire.

Because the firefighters had congregated for the barbecue, they were able to respond very quickly, which may have helped save the building, Devlin said.

Eight to 12 firefighters fought the interior fire in intervals of about 25 minutes until it was put out.

At 9:30 p.m. smoke could still be seen billowing from the roof of the store while firefighters inside were "overhauling" - making sure the fire was out.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined, but not suspicious, Milford Fire Chief Richard Devlin Jr. said Tuesday.

Investigation showed the fire started in the rear delivery entrance on the first floor, a 6-by-8-foot space also used for storage.

The fire then moved up a flight of stairs to the second floor and traveled up the walls to the attic.

He said he does not believe the cause of the blaze was electrical in nature.

"We're looking at everything we can," he said.