Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a West Nyack home to go up in flames so quickly Thursday afternoon, destroying the structure.
Family members were inside the home on Alex Court when it started burning after noon, according to authorities. They were able to escape.
"The occupants were actually home at the time," said a fire official. "They smelled smoke, opened the front door and found a wall of fire. They evacuated out the rear door."
Neighbors said the father, his two sons and the boys' grandmother were shaken but suffered no injuries from the smoke or flames. The family is now staying with relatives as the Alex Court home is now uninhabitable.
The grandmother had lost her own home during Sandy, and it is now the second time she doesn't have a place to live in weeks.
Investigators with the Clarkstown fire inspector's office were combing through the rubble Thursday to try to figure out what caused the fire. It's believed the fire started at the front of the house, and some neighbors said they heard what sounded like an explosion shortly before.
Patrick Walker, who lives next door, wondered if fireworks may be behind the blaze.
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"Early Sunday morning, a firework was shot off on our street," he said. "My dad and I thought it was bad but not to the extent we thought we should call anybody."
"We saw and heard the firework go off. Then we saw a car darting away as we exited our house," Walker said.
The home is expected to be condemned Friday.
