WESTBROOK - Multiple fire departments battled a vicious blaze Friday that destroyed a home.
Westbrook Fire Chief Mike Jenkins said they were called to the scene around 5 p.m., by the alarm company and witnesses.
He said a man was home at the time of the fire but was exiting upon arrival. According to Chief Jenkins, he was not hurt.
The three-story home is a total loss, according to fire officials. Fire crews had to attack the fire from the outside due to the size of the home and fire. The home including the basement and garage is about 9,900 square feet.
A challenge firefighters faced is the lack of fire hydrants in the area.
"At one point we had up to 15 tankers to supply water to put the fire out," Chief Jenkins said. "It's a challenge, we had one engine that was a little too close ,we did a little damage from the heat on the engine, but nobody was hurt."
At the height of the fire, he estimates about 60 firefighters were aiding Westbrook on scene from departments including but not limited to Durham, Deep River, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Madison, Clinton and Essex.
Local flight instructor Eric Aresco was out on a flight when he saw the flames from the sky.
"Absolutely ridiculous I mean it was literally glowing up the whole entire sky," he said.
"We were flying over it and you could see the structure of the house and by the time we did a whole 360 degree turn around of the house, you couldn’t see the structure anymore it was that quick," added Aresco.
The state and local fire marshal are investigating the cause of the fire.