OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) Crews were called to the scene of a fire at a beach home in Oak Island Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was located at a home in the 1600 block of E. Beach Drive. A neighbor says she called 911 at 3:56 p.m.

The area on E. Beach Drive was blocked off for several hours as crews worked to put the fire out.

Dozens of people on the beach and nearby neighbors watched as the home burned to the ground. One woman who was renting a house just one property over from the fire says the home went up in flames in a matter of minutes.

I was sitting on the corner and I looked over to the right front corner of the house and smoke was coming out of it and I thought, oh theyre doing their laundry but then I was like its black colors, Tina Belmaggio said. That doesnt make sense so i kept looking and then all of sudden i saw the first flame come up, i jumped up ran, got my phone and called 911.

Another neighbor says he was on the beach when they saw people pointing at something, and he turned around to see the house fully engulfed in flames.

Id say within probably 6 to 8 minutes, that house was gone, David Capilupo said. I was Id say 100 yards away and you could feel the heat. and it was intense.

Several bystanders say the wind blew the flames towards several other houses. The house where the fire appeared to start was destroyed, and three homes surrounding it also suffered damage.

Its a tragedy, neighbor Brian Smith said. It was in pretty close proximity to some other houses and so the fire damage was affecting some of the other areas.

Southport Fire Department posted online that they were assisting Oak Island Fire Department with three homes on fire. There were dozens of other fire and EMS crews assisting from all over Brunswick County, including Winnabow, Shallotte, Bolivia and Brunswick County EMS.

Neighbors who saw the home go up in flames say the windows were boarded up, and it appeared to be abandoned.

Theres no word yet what caused the fire, or whether there were any injuries.

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Fire crews respond to homes on fire in Oak Island - WWAY NewsChannel 3