HEBRON — Firefighters from four departments battled a fire Wednesday afternoon that consumed a large barn at 539 Greenwood Mountain Road and threatened to destroy the nearby house.

The home is owned by Judy Small, who escaped unharmed with the help of neighbors.

A neighbor who identified himself as Al said he heard an explosion that sounded like a “whoosh” and saw the barn erupt in flames. He ran to the home near the barn and helped Small, who is in her 80s, get out of the house. The neighbor ran back to his home to call 911.

The fire was reported at about 12:30 p.m.

At least two dozen chickens were killed in the fire, but the homeowner was able to escape with her two small dogs. Her car, parked near the barn, was saved.

Neighbor Judy Haggerty of nearby Patten Hill Road said she saw the black smoke as she was coming home from Auburn and drove to Small’s house, where she saw the barn engulfed in flames and helped the homeowner get away from the fire.

Haggerty said the barn contained farm equipment, including a tractor.

Small’s son was working in Portland at the time of the fire, according to neighbors.

According to Hebron fire Chief Jim Trundy, a section of the second-story floor and first-story ceiling were damaged in the home.

He said when his crews first arrived, the barn was engulfed in flames. Firefighters began a “blitz line” to concentrate their efforts on saving the house, with Paris firefighters making an interior attack.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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