VIDEO: Firefighters battled a massive house fire in Billerica Thursday evening that left the home a total loss.
Crews responding to the scene on Riveredge Road found smoke and flames pouring out of the house.
“I was sleeping on the farmer’s porch and the smoke just came out right around me,” homeowner Rob Rawson said. “Panic city.”
Within minutes, the flames destroyed the years of work Rawson put into his home.
SKY 7 HD flew over the scene around 6 p.m. to find it totally engulfed. By about 6:15 the flames had been mostly extinguished.
Rawson said that as soon as he began smelling smoke, he ran through banging on doors to make sure he and his two roommates would escape safely.
“I’m shocked I got the guy upstairs out. Shocked,” he told 7NEWS. “There were lots of sparks the lines were catching on fire. it just moved very quickly.”
Multiple explosions could be heard within the inferno as nearby vehicles caught on fire — including an Xfinity van parked in the driveway.