An early morning fire in Gray Thursday left a home destroyed and its owner in the hospital.

Firefighters responded at around 4:30 a.m. to the house fire at 167 North Raymond Road. The owner, Curtis Taylor, 45, his employee, 31-year-old Brian Gagnon, and two dogs were home when the fire broke out.

Taylor and Gagnon escaped the fire, which had engulfed the house, by breaking then jumping through a first story window. Taylor was taken to the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he is being treated for burns to his back, arms and face. Gagnon remained at the scene.

Gagnon said he has been living at the house for two or three months. He said one dog likely died in the fire and another was taken to the veterinarian for treatment.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshall.

Brian Gagnon, a resident at