The Office of State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a fatal fire that destroyed a home on Valley Road late Wednesday afternoon.

One person died in the blaze, according to Doug Fournier, chief of the Sumner Volunteer Fire Department.

The person was found outside the home and their body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification, according to Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety. The residence, which was powered solely by propane and solar energy, was a total loss, she said in a news release. 

No other details on the victim were immediately available Thursday.

Firefighters from several towns responded to the residence. The 1.5-mile steep driveway had to be plowed to give side-by-side utility vehicles access, he said. West Paris Fire Department used its utility vehicle equipped with a pump and hose.

“It took us a while to find the fire,” Fournier said, noting that when firefighters arrived the structure was engulfed in flames.

Heavy smoke could be seen for miles, according posts on Facebook Wednesday night.

Between 20 and 30 firefighters responded. Buckfield Fire and Rescue Department brought its ambulance.

This story will be updated.