A view of the fire from the home’s back yard. Below, Shrewsbury firefighters prepare to attack the blaze from above. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

More than two hours after after it was first called in, a fire in a Shrewsbury mansion was still underway late Monday afternoon.

At 3:38 p.m., firefighters reported “heavy fire above the front door.”

By then, the blaze had inflicted major damage on the house, a canary yellow mansion set back from the roadway just east of Samara Drive.

Fire visible through a first-floor window of the badly damaged house. (Click to enlarge)

The blaze, at 469 Sycamore Avenue, was reported at about 1:20 p.m. There was no immediate report of injuries or a cause.

According to tax records, the house is owned by Jeffrey and Joan Rich.

Volunteer irefighters and other emergency responders from Shrewsbury, Red Bank, Little Silver, Tinton Falls, Eatontown and West Long Branch were on the scene. Sycamore Avenue remained closed to traffic between Broad Street/Route 35 and Shrewsbury Avenue.