CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dozens of firefighters battled a massive fire that engulfed a south Charlotte home early Monday morning.
[IMAGES: Firefighters battle raging south Charlotte fire]
Fire crews were called around 2:30 a.m. to the home on Hardison Road, near Providence Road, and saw heavy flames and smoke coming from the house at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Charlotte FD investigators said the cause of the fire was accidental due to an electrical problem.
Two people in the house were displaced and will be staying with family.
The estimated property loss is $570,000.
We first updated WSOCTV news app users with a notification just after 4:30 a.m. Monday about the massive fire that destroyed the south Charlotte home.
Download the WSOCTV news app for your smartphone and get updates on this developing story as they come in.
Officials said five people were inside the house at the time, but all managed to escape unharmed.
The homeowner's boyfriend Ronald Cox told Channel 9 reporter Gina Esposito he believes the fire started in the back of the home. He said his girlfriend woke up to what sounded like glass breaking.
Cox said he was disoriented at first and thought he was at his home in the mountains as he tried to find a garden hose.
He said he stepped out back and saw the flames for himself.
"They were probably 10 or 12 feet in the air above the deck, so they were coming pretty strong," Cox said.
The five members of the house said they made it out mostly empty handed.
It took 32 firefighters around 50 minutes to get the fire under control.
Cox said his girlfriend owned the house for well over a decade, but that it could have been much worse.
"We're fine, we all got out safe," Cox said. "You can replace things. You can't replace human lives."
Cox told Channel 9 that until they can sort things out, they have a place to stay.
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