A fire early Sunday morning in Gorham destroyed a home on College Avenue near the University of Southern Maine campus.

Charles Jarrett, Gorham’s fire inspector, told WCSH-TV that the fire started in a basement before spreading onto the first and second floors, as well as the attic of the home at 8 College Ave.

A passer-by noticed smoke around 3 a.m. and notified authorities that the white-colored, two-story house was on fire. Firefighters said a man who lived in the home was not there when the fire broke out.

Sections of Route 114 in Gorham were shut down for about three hours while crews from Gorham and surrounding towns fought the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.