RAYMOND — Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire Friday afternoon that destroyed a house.

The fire broke out around 3 p.m. at the two-story residence at 10 Patricia Ave., Fire Chief Kevin Pratt said.

Flames spread quickly through the house, which was surrounded by vehicles and other piles of belongings outside that made it difficult for firefighters to access the building, Pratt said.

Firefighters also encountered problems inside “because the building was so full of stuff,” Pratt said.

Neighbors said the house has been unoccupied for some time as the owner is out of state. A man who was watching over the residence was cleaning up inside the house when the fire started, Pratt said. He noticed the fire after a pile of items was moved on the first floor, Pratt said.

“It was fully involved when we got down here,” he said, adding that a fire hydrant was located nearby, making it easier to bring water to the scene.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Pratt said it didn't appear to be suspicious and no one was injured.

Neighbor Aleigh Durgin said she heard at least four explosions during the fire.

Durgin said she's a nurse and worried that someone was inside, so she rushed over while her husband called 911.

“When I went down the whole house was engulfed,” she said.

Sherry Vachon was working in her mother's yard down the road when she noticed the fire and also reported hearing explosions.

“All of a sudden I saw the flames. Then we started hearing things exploding. It was crazy,” she said.

Because of the hot conditions, Pratt said firefighters were rotated more frequently to avoid heat exhaustion.

Raymond firefighters were assisted at the scene by Epping and Fremont fire crews while Nottingham and Deerfield provided station coverage.

jschreiber@newstote.com