Stonor Lodge has been deemed a total loss after a three-alarm blaze that began around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

NEWPORT, R.I. — A three-alarm fire reduced the Stonor Lodge, a house in the Bellevue Avenue Historic District that was undergoing a complete rehab, to a total loss, Fire Chief Peter D. Connerton said Thursday evening.

The fire, at 479 Bellevue Ave., was reported about 4:30 p.m. The house sits on 3.7 acres bounded by Bellevue Avenue, Gordon Street, Coggeshell Avenue and the extension of Kerin's Terrace.

"Upon arrival, the building was fully involved," in flames, Connerton said, adding firefighters "started attacking the fire."

Shortly after firefighters arrived, Connerton said, flying embers propelled by strong winds prompted a call for a second alarm. The fire went to a third alarm, he said, because demand for water was exceeding the system's capacity.

Another obstacle for firefighters, he said, was that "because of the layout of the property, access to the property was somewhat difficult."

As he spoke, firefighters were guiding the driver of one of the fire trucks backing out of the property and onto Bellevue Avenue. The truck barely fit between the entrance gate.

A little after 6 p.m., flashing police cruisers blocked off Bellevue Avenue from Gordon Street to Leroy Avenue, and Coggeshall Avenue was closed from Gordon Street to Morton Avenue. Several streets were filled with fire department trucks and flashing lights. Water flowed down some of the streets surrounding the building, and a group of firefighters were carrying large yellow water lines away from the scene.

About 12 fire vehicles responded to the incident, Connerton said.

Fire departments that responded to a request for mutual aid included Middletown, Portsmouth, the Navy and North Kingstown.

It took about an hour to get the fire under control, he said. No one was living in the building during construction, and no injuries were reported.

At 6:20 p.m., Bellevue Avenue was full of smoke, and firefighters were searching for hot spots. A fire watch would guard the building overnight, Connerton said, and the investigative team would work there Friday morning.

It was too early to tell the cause or origin of the fire and whether it was suspicious, Connerton said.

Tax assessor records show that the property was sold in 2013 for more than $3.2 million. The building has 21 rooms, 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It is listed as being owned by Whaletail LLC and Goelet LLC of New York City. The building and land are appraised at $3.4 million.

According to an inventory of buildings filed with the federal government’s National Register of Historic Places, the original lodge was built around 1870 and 1880. Two and a half stories tall, it featured a cross-gabled roof, clapboard covered walls and a porch entrance on its east side.

With staff reports from Carol Kozma and John Hill