Man Watches NH Home Burn From Chicago During The Super Bowl

HAMPSTEAD, N.H. (CBS) – While all eyes were glued to the Super Bowl, a New Hampshire man was watching his home go up in flames from his cellphone.

"I felt helpless. I saw right before my eyes that my house was on fire," said Michael Todesca.

Todesca was in Chicago when his home surveillance system kept alerting him something was going on at his Hampstead, N.H. home.

"I didn't even care to watch the Super Bowl anymore," said Todesca. "I was basically glued on my phone watching the firefighters break down my front door to get in there."

The fire broke out in the basement towards the fourth quarter of the game. The cameras captured the frantic moments as firefighters battled through heavy smoke and flames to get downstairs.

When Todesca returned home on Monday night, he was beside himself.

"At first, I was in shock. The first thing when I walked in was the smell of soot and carbon," he said.

Although the fire was confined to the basement, the damage was so severe that the entire home will likely have to be torn down.

Todesca lost basically everything except the suitcase that he left with. Despite it all, he explains why he's still able to stay positive.

"I was just very happy nobody was hurt. I did lose everything, but whatever. You got to move on and rebuild."

A GoFundMe account has been set up for Todesca here.