A blaze sparked by a barbecue grill tore through a Helena firefighter's house Monday evening.

Helena Fire Department Battalion Chief Brad Hampton said he was grilling shish kebabs on the back deck of his Blue Cloud Estate subdivision home at about 5:30 p.m. when he heard a strange pop. The next thing he knew his grill was on fire after a hose disconnected from the propane tank.

Hampton said he went to grab a garden hose to cool down the grill and by the time he returned to the barbecue, flames were shooting 10 feet in the air and igniting his attic.

A little more than an hour later, Baxendale Fire Department Assistant Chief Bob Kolar said the roof was completely burned.

"It's a loss," Kolar said of the Stonebridge Lane home's condition.

Hampton said he made sure his three cats were safe and quickly fled the house, which he shares with his significant other and her daughter.

He watched as flames engulfed his house. Thick black smoke floated up the hillside.

"What's on my mind right now? Nothing. Absolutely nothing," said Hampton, who was so hoarse he was barely able to speak.

Kolar stood in front of the fire-ravaged home giving directions to the crews, who were smashing out the front windows in order to spray water into the house. Other firefighters cut the side walls of the house with chainsaws to ventilate the residence. The blaze was extinguished about two hours after it ignited.

More than a dozen fire trucks negotiated the narrow, winding roads in the subdivision, which is just off of U.S. Highway 12. Crews from Baxendale, East Valley, Eastgate, East Helena, West Valley, Birdseye, Canyon Creek and Tri-Lakes fire departments were joined by a team from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Reporter Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com