Thick smoke and heavy fire consumed a Waterford home on Josan Drive as more than 30 firefighters attacked the fire from both sides.
According to fire officials, the massive fire broke out just before 4pm.
It took firefighters more than two hours to put out the blaze. Mutual aid from surrounding towns also responded.
"We did an aggressive interior attack, knocked it down, we actually thought we had it put out and then we found out that the fire had gotten up into the attic space," said Oswegatchie Fire Captain John Slyvestre.
That's when the flames broke through the roof, engulfing the house and even lighting up nearby trees. Neighbors said a son and his elderly mother were inside when it all began.
"My neighbor came running over saying his house was on fire and to call 911," said Traci Nelson.
After Nelson alerted first responders, she ran to the front of the home, realizing the man's mother needed help.
"He had gotten his mother out to the front porch, but she had no shoes, and she wouldn't come off the porch," said Nelson. "So I just threw her over my shoulder and carried her out to the driveway."
Even with the fire quickly spreading, Nelson, a New Haven AMR Paramedic, didn't hesitate to rush up to the home to grab her friend.
"I'm used to it," said Nelson. "I work on an ambulance, so that's what I do for a living."
The place mom and son have called home for decades is now destroyed. Fire officials believe it began in the back near the furnace, and it appears there's nothing left to salvage.
The Red Cross is helping the two residents and providing them with emergency lodging, food, and clothing.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
