MONMOUTH – An unoccupied camp burned flat Tuesday afternoon and wind-swept flames threatened nearby homes.

Fire crews from five towns battled the blaze for five hours after it was reported that the camp on Annabessacook Lake was engulfed in flames.

The single-story camp is off Alpakali Drive and was reported burning at about 3:30 p.m., according to a Monmouth public safety dispatcher. Flames leaping from the building pushed toward Neal Lane, threatening at least one home there.

“It was quite a blaze,” said Karen Holbrook, who lives roughly 100 yards from the camp that burned. “A tree caught fire in front of our house, but the firefighters were right there with tanks. They weren’t going to let it get any further.”

Holbrook said the camp is owned by a person who lives in Lewiston but the building was empty all winter. The name of the property owner was not available Tuesday night.

Monmouth firefighters were joined by others from Greene, Wales, Leeds and Turner. They battled the blaze until about 9 p.m., at one point rushing to Neal Lane where a fly-away ember had caught a woodpile and trees on fire.

Firefighters knocked the flames down before they could spread further.

“They were very good, very professional,” Holbrook said of the fire crews. “It’s pretty dry out here. We’re all afraid to sleep now, after that spark took off like that.”

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday night.