A family in Briarcliff Manor was able to escape their burning home early Tuesday morning, only to watch it burn to the ground.

Flames broke out at the one-story home at 48 Gordon Ave. around 1:30 a.m. More than 100 firefighters from several area departments responded to the scene.

Officials say it was a particularly hard fire to fight because Gordon Avenue is a narrow road in a heavily wooded area, and it was a challenge to get equipment to the area.

"There's a cliff on the side so the driveway is only so wide, and then it's a hill down to the main road, so firefighters couldn't move freely up and down," says Briarcliff Manor Fire Chief Mike Garcia.

Not only were crews dealing with the intense flames, but they also had to work around downed live electrical lines until Con Edison arrived to shut off the power. A number of nearby trees also caught fire.

Crews say within just a few minutes of getting to the home, the roof collapsed and eventually the entire house. It took about an hour to get the fire under control, and at least another three hours to deal with hot spots.

An excavator was later brought in to rake through the pile in order to get to the smoldering hot spots underneath.

Fire officials say the three residents were already outside on the street when crews arrived, due to working smoke detectors.

Officials say the fire doesn't look suspicious, but the cause remains under investigation.