TURNER – A man escaped through a rear window Wednesday afternoon as the kitchen inside his County Road home went up in flames.

By the time firefighters got to 670 County Road about 1 p.m., the small home near the corner of Route 4 was fully engulfed in flames. Crews from five departments battled the blaze, but by the time it was over, the house and its contents were gone.

Turner fire Chief Mike Arsenault said a couple lived in the house but their names were not immediately available. The man was alone when flames engulfed his kitchen, forcing him to flee through the window, Arsenault said.

There were also cats inside the single-story home when it caught fire.

“As far as I know, they all got out OK,” Arsenault said.

Though the fire started in the kitchen, fire officials did not yet know what caused the blaze. They were investigating the source of the fire later Wednesday.

Arsenault said the local chapter of the American Red Cross was called and was assisting the couple.

Firefighters from Greene, Leeds, Livermore and Buckfield assisted Turner crews. Traffic on Route 4 was disrupted as firefighters worked.