Firefighters battled an intense blaze Sunday afternoon at a home on Lorraine Drive in Cambridge.

Heavy smoke could be seen billowing out of the home, and early on firefighters said the main floor collapsed.

“It reached a point where we didn't know if the integrity of the floor was compromised, so we did order an evacuation of all personal and we had to fight a defensive fire from that point on,” said platoon chief Brad Grimwood.

Officials said they could see the smoke from the home above the trees before arriving at the scene – at one point, there were 24 firefighters trying to put out the fire.

Two houses on either side of the home were evacuated because of smoke concerns, but according to firefighters, were not in danger of burning as well.

Hydro crews were called in to shut the power off on the street.

The Resende family had lived in the home for 30 years according to friends, and were attending a church service when the fire broke out.

Friends of the family say they were supposed to go to Cuba this week for a vacation, but those plans have now been cancelled.

Officials have not determined the cause of the blaze yet.

Damages are estimated at over $400,000.

Crews were still on scene and Lorraine Drive will be closed until 7 p.m.