SMITHFIELD — Three homes on the shore of North Pond were destroyed in a fire Thursday that drew at least three-dozen firefighters from the region, a fire official said.

Firefighters from at least eight departments responded to the scene shortly after 3 p.m. on Yvonne Lane, which is off Lake View Drive about 1.5 miles from Smithfield Village. The lane is at the northern end of the pond.

The homes were adjacent to one another and Skowhegan Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Johnston said by the time firefighters arrived, the one in the middle had already been reduced to rubble.

One firefighter said he could see the smoke from Oakland.

The homes were seasonal residences rather than year-round homes, according to a neighbor. It wasn’t immediately clear if a resident happened to be there at the time.

Johnston said he didn’t have any early indication as to how the three-alarm fire started.

“Not a clue,” he said. “No idea at all.”

He said a primary problem was there was so much fire it initially prevented firefighters from entering the structures.

Among the departments responding to the scene, in addition to Smithfield, were those from Belgrade, Madison, Norridgewock, Sidney, Skowhegan, Waterville and Winslow.