A four-alarm fire ripped through a home in Tarrytown Saturday, completely destroying the house.

More than 40 firefighters from surrounding communities spent six hours trying to get the fire under control. The Tarrytown Fire Department chief says the flames were intense when they arrived at the house around 9 a.m.

Firefighters say they were forced to rip out windows, walls and parts of the roof because pockets of flames sprang up everywhere. They say the old construction of the home enabled to the flames to spread inside and made battling the fire a very tough job.

The homeowners were on vacation in Florida, so no one was home at the time of the fire. Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell lives nearby and says the village will lend a helping hand when the family returns home. Neighbors say the family just moved from Ithaca and bought the home a short time ago.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.