For the second time this week, a home in Windham has been destroyed by fire.

At about noon on Wednesday, firefighters were called to 20 Motorcycle Drive for a fire at a large, two-family home.

Tenant David Higgins said he was in his upstairs office when he smelled smoke. He tried to go down the back stairs but a wall of black smoke blocked his way. Higgins said he eventually managed to get out through the large barn that was being used as a garage.

“Everything I had was in there. Even my money was in there,” he said while observing the burning remains of his tenant home.

Afraid for his neighbor Ron Gough, Higgins said he used a shovel to break a window and reach through to unlock the outside door to Gough’s part of the house. Higgins said the kitchen was filled with smoke so he repeatedly tried calling for Gough while ducking on the floor and ran outside when he needed air.

Higgins said he noticed Gough’s truck was gone but went back inside to try to find Gough’s cat, which was never found. Both men lived alone.

“That’s OK, I don’t know who I’d call,” said Higgins when he was offered a phone by Gorham Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre. Firefighters from Windham, Raymond, Gorham, Gray and Westbrook were present at the scene.

Higgins said he ran down the long dirt road to call for help but none of his neighbors were home. He eventually found a building that was unlocked and called from there.

“I didn’t think they’d mind,” he said.

Windham Deputy Chief Dave Nichols said the fire is still under investigation, but the wood furnace located in the basement is being considered as the cause.

Nichols said the location of the house made it difficult to get water to the trucks. He said precious time was used laying more than 4,000 feet of hose from a hydrant on Falmouth Road.

“It’s a good thing this happened in the daytime, and not at night when everyone was asleep,” said Lloyd Gilman who built the house, mostly out of wood. Gilman said he started construction in 1985 and finished around 1990. He later sold it to the current owner, Joe Paolino.

Fire claims home in Windham