PARIS — A man escaped his burning home at 38 Military Road early Monday morning, fire Chief Brad Frost. 

Paris firefighters were called at about 1:45 a.m. to find the roof of William Green’s house on fire. Green, 82, escaped unharmed. There were no other occupants, Frost said.

Green was alerted of the fire by smoke alarms. “That’s probably the only reason he got out,” Frost said.

A faulty electrical switch that overheated or had a loose connection is the most likely cause of the fire, he said.

Firefighters entered the home and attempted to knock down flames, but were forced to withdraw after 45 minutes when the situation became too hazardous, the chief said. 

“We tried entry but we couldn’t chase it fast enough through the ceilings,” Frost said. They battled if from outside and returned to the station around 5 a.m.

Firefighters from Paris, Oxford, Norway, West Paris and Hebron responded to the scene and the Buckfield Fire Department provided coverage, Frost said. No firefighters were injured.

The house is a total loss, Frost said. It was insured.

He said Green intends to stay with a daughter in Massachusetts.