GREENE – A man escaped as flames swept through his mobile home on South Mountain Road on Friday night.

Greene firefighters were assisted by crews from several area towns battling the 8 p.m. blaze at 28 South Mountain Road, which runs off Meadow Hill Road.

While firefighters battled the flames, homeowner Erik Magnussen was examined for possible injuries after fleeing his home.

Witnesses said the fire appeared to have started near a porch above the home’s walk-out basement. Flames quickly spread to the rest of the building and began shooting from the roof.

“I started beating on the side of the building to see if anyone was in there,” said 25-year-old Tyson MacDonald, who lives near the fire scene.

MacDonald called 911 to report the blaze. Fire crews from towns including Leeds, Wales, Turner, Monmouth and Winthrop responded to assist.

Firefighters set up portable, folding water tanks at South Mountain and Meadow Hill roads while Androscoggin County Sheriff’s officials controlled traffic at the scene.

When the fire first began, flames could be seen from more than a mile away.

“It lit up the whole sky,” said 37-year-old Don Webber, who was driving on Meadow Hill Road at the time. “When I got here, it was engulfed. It was going right up.”

Early reports were that nobody was seriously injured in the blaze. A neighbor said a dog that may have been inside the mobile home was not seen after the fire began.

Firefighters had the blaze under control about 9 p.m. and an investigation into the cause of the fire was expected to get under way.

The mobile home was believed to be a total loss, although the exact amount of damage was not known late Friday.

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