'It was just an inferno': Helena-area home destroyed in early morning fire

"We heard this boom," Sherry Goodard said. She then looked outside and saw flames shooting about 60 feet into the area.

"We were watching it from our deck. We got dressed in case we had to leave," she said. 

Their neighbor's home at 6140 Hauser Dam Road northeast of Helena was engulfed in flames. The fire destroyed the home, detached garage, several vehicles and a boat.

"Everyone who got the page could see the glow from wherever they were," said Bob Drake, chief of Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department. 

"It was just an inferno," he added. "The fire was coming out of every window and every door." 

A man who was house-sitting the residence was sleeping in the basement unaware of the fire until the room was overcome with smoke. Drake said the man was able to escape out a window. 

"He came out only in his boxers. He was lucky to get out," Drake said. 

Knowing the house was a loss, fire crews focused on the embers scorching the nearby vegetation. 

"The trees are burning and the wind out the north was pushing it," Drake said. Crews surrounded the blaze, attacking from all possible directions. 

"We put kind of a rainstorm over the structure to suppress the embers. It didn't get away from us," he said. 

Because of the amount of damage, the cause of the fire might not ever be determined, but remains under investigation. 

Firefighters from Tri-Lakes were joined at the scene by members of the East Valley, East Gate, York and Birdseye volunteer departments, and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office. A crew with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation remained on the scene Friday morning overseeing a remaining hot spot. 

The Goodards surveyed the damage Friday morning, saying they wanted to make sure everyone was safe. 

"I tell you, you kind of take your fire guys for granted until you wake up at 1 a.m. like this," Don Goodard added.