WEST GARDINER — A 69-year-old man was taken to the hospital Friday after a fire broke out around 6 a.m. in the camper he was staying in and spread to the house it was parked next to.

West Gardiner Fire Chief Mike Gross said Friday that the home at 98 Primrose Lane was unoccupied at the time of the fire, which drew fire crews from surrounding towns to assist.

“When we got there, we had a camper fully involved, and a house partially involved (in fire),” Gross said.

The camper had been parked at the side of the two-story home and the fire spread from the camper into the front of the house, Gross said, eventually reaching the upper floor and getting into the roof.

The department brought in an excavator to open up an outside wall to wet down hot spots in the building.

The house, he said, is a total loss.

Residents in the area reported seeing a plume of black smoke Friday morning. Gross said the fire was probably reported by a neighbor on Primrose Lane, which is a narrow dirt road off Collins Mills Road.

The Office of State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire.

Firefighters from Gardiner, Litchfield, Pittston and Farmingdale responded, with firefighters from West Gardiner remaining at the scene until mid-morning.

Gross said firefighters were fortunate to have a dry hydrant on Primrose Lane they were able to use for a water supply to set up a tanker shuttle to bring water to the site of the fire. Among the trucks fighting the fire was a West Gardiner engine that was placed into service Thursday afternoon.