SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- A 6,648-square-foot mansion in north Fulton County caught fire early Monday morning.

Firefighters told Channel 2 Action News reporter Darren Lyn that it was one of the biggest blazes they have seen in recent history. It happened in the 5800 block of Winterthur Drive Northwest at about 2:30 a.m.

“Pretty much all the walls have collapsed,” said Capt. Thomas Harris with the Sandy Springs Fire Department.

---

SLIDESHOW: Sandy Springs Mansion Fire
WATCH: Fire Destroys Sandy Springs Mansion

---

Harris said it was hard to fight the fire because the mansion is built back into a mountain, making it difficult to get water on it. The home is a total loss.

No one was home at the time the blaze broke out, but officials have spoken with the homeowner’s son. Officials said the homeowners were having renovations done at the home and that they were staying with relatives. A woman, who called WSB-TV and identified herself as a relative of the homeowner, said the family was preparing to list the home for sale.

Arson investigators will be called to the scene.