CUMMINGTON - Fire severely damaged a home on Swift River Road in the early today, diverting Route 9 traffic for miles while firefighters battled the blaze.

Assistant Fire Chief and Police Chief Denny Forgea said Elizabeth J. Wade, of 1 Swift River Road, woke up shortly after 6 a.m. as usual, but "thought she heard something."

When she looked for the source of the noise, Wade found smoke in her kitchen, which appeared to be emanating from a closet, Forgea said. Opening the door, Wade came upon fully involved fire; she immediately called 911 and left the house, he said.

By 9 a.m. firefighters had contained the fire, and were bulldozing Wade's attached garage. Forgea said the fire likely started where the garage met the house. Firefighters at that time also explored the hard-to-reach portions of the house, such as an attic crawl space where some flames did reach, to double check for any additional flare-ups.

The cause of the fire was unknown, Forgea said.

Forgea was unsure whether Wade had homeowner's insurance, and couldn't say whether the home was a total loss. There was significant fire, smoke and water damage, in addition to the razed garage.

State police and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. employees assisted the firefighters by diverting traffic on Route 9. In Goshen, state police redirected westbound traffic onto Route 112 north. In Cummington, WMECO personnel directed eastbound traffic toward Route 143 in Chesterfield.

Commutes were increased significantly for drivers heading in both directions.

Forgea said a trooper assigned to the state Fire Marshal's Office would assist in the investigation.

A number of fire and emergency crews responded to the scene, including teams from Windsor, Chesterfield, Goshen, Worthington, Plainfield and Highland Ambulance.