WILLMAR - Willmar firefighters responded to a house fire Friday morning in southwest Willmar.
A neighbor reported at about 5:45 a.m. that flames were coming through the roof of the home at 921 Sixth St. S.W.
Firefighters arrived to find active flames coming out of the north side of the home, Willmar Fire Chief Gary Hendrickson said Friday.
They entered the home to look for occupants, but no one was there. Renters had recently moved out, and the house was vacant.
Hendrickson said the cause of the fire is being investigated, but said he didn’t believe it was caused by foul play.
The heavy damage was confined to the northeast corner of the building, but the entire structure may be lost because of fire damage and water damage, he said.
Had the fire occurred earlier in the week, when temperatures were below zero, the fire may have been more difficult to fight, he said.
“It wasn’t too bad, fairly warm in comparison to what we’ve had recently,” he said. There was no wind, either, which reduced the chances the fire could spread to neighboring homes.
Four rigs and 24 firefighters responded to the fire, Hendrickson said, and there were no injuries reported. They were at the scene until shortly after 8 a.m. Friday.
