UPDATE: Firefighters Battle House Fire on Lakeview Avenue in Tonka Bay

Firefighters and police officers from several area departments responded late Monday afternoon to a report of a home explosion on Lakeview Avenue in Tonka Bay.

The fully engulfed home is on the shores of Echo Bay.

Firefighters at one point had about a half-dozen hoses on the structure. They fought the blaze from the ground and from a ladder elevated above the roof.

Flames were coming out of the roof and windows of the house, and the front of the structure nearest the road suffered extensive damage.

Excelsior Fire District Chief Scott Gerber said the initial call was received by emergency dispatchers just before 4 p.m. Police officers were the first to reach the scene, and reported to inbound firefighters that the home was fully engulfed.

"At this time we do not know what the cause of the explosion may be," Gerber said.

No injuries to either citizens or first responders are being reported.

Bill Pierce, who has lived in the lake shore neighborhood since the 1970s, said he just pulled into his driveway—less than a block away from the home—when he heard a loud explosion.

"It was like a bomb going off," Pierce said. "I walked down there and you could hear four of five other explosions in the house. By then the outside of the house was gone. Flames were coming off five or six feet from the front porch."

Steve Eilatson, who lives across the street, also said he initially heard one large explosion and then several smaller ones. Eilatson was able to reach the owners of the home by phone. He said they are staying "up north" and were "surprised and devastated" by news of the fire.

Both Eilatson and Pierce said the same home burned down several years ago and that the rebuilt structure was less than a year old.

The family's dogs were in the house at the time of the explosions and their conditions are unknown.

CenterPoint Energy also was on the scene.

About two dozen people watched firefighters battle the fire. Neighboring structures did not appear to be in danger.

Check back for more updates.