AUBURN - An Auburn home was badly damaged Friday following a persistent structural fire.

A two-alarm fire was reported in Auburn at 11:51 a.m., sending firefighters from the Auburn Fire Department to 27 Mann St. to try to save a two-story home.

As fire fighters approached the house - engulfed in flames - they heard an explosion and saw glass being blown out from the windows.

Assistant Chief James Lattimore said the explosion was a backdraft, a situation that can occur when a fire is starved of oxygen and combustion stops, but gases and smoke remain at a high temperature. If oxygen is re-introduced to the fire, like air coming from a broken window, combustion can restart and have an explosive effect.

"It stopped everyone in their tracks," he said. "It was pretty loud."

The home - located just beyond the intersection of Mann Street and Lawton Avenue - was empty at the time of the fire, Lattimore said. An investigation into the cause of the fire is forthcoming, he said.

The blaze charred the back porch and moved up the house and into the attic, an area of the home where firefighters had difficulty extinguishing the fire because of the amount of household items stored there.

Also causing some difficulty in putting out the fire was the structural design of the building. Lattimore said the house had gapping holes throughout the structure, allowing the walls to catch on fire. Firefighters were tearing down the walls to get to those areas.

"It's a real labor intensive effort," he said.

According to the county real property office, the home is owned by Kandy L. Stroup.