Cutting Torch Causes Huge House Fire In Northeast Charlotte

Firefighters said a worker was replacing an air conditioning unit when excessive heat from a cutting torch ignited a huge fire in northeast Charlotte.

CHOPPER VIDEO: Firefighters Battling Flames In Northeast Charlotte

SLIDESHOW: Firefighters Battle Huge Flames In Northeast Charlotte

Flames and smoke were pouring out of the house, located on Scott Creek Drive, when firefighters arrived at the scene Tuesday afternoon. They said the heavy smoke could be seen from miles away.

"We knew right then that we had an extremely dangerous situation," Chief Mike Wilson said.

"The whole house was in flames and smoke," Cathy Breault, who lives near the home, said. "You couldn't even see the ladder, the smoke was so high."

Firefighters said that the design of the building made the fire even tougher to fight.

"This is all light-weight truss construction, and once fire gets active in there, there's really no set amount of time before it's going to come down," Wilson said. "So that's our number one concern, is making sure we're not there when it does come down."

Part of the home did collapse, so firefighters used an aerial platform to the attack the flames from above.

No one was hurt.