BARNUM — A house west of Fort Dodge is a total loss after it caught fire Wednesday morning, according to Barnum Fire Chief Nick Ruhland.

Firefighters from Barnum, Badger and Clare were called to the house at 1771 Johnson Ave., at about 10 a.m.

“When we arrived there was smoke coming out of the house,” Ruhland said. “The main floor had fallen through to the basement.”

Ruhland said firefighters extinguished the flames “pretty easily.”

A family lives at the house, but Ruhland said no one was home at the time of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Ruhland said the single-story house, built in 1995, is considered a total loss.

He said the family living there does have a place to stay in the meantime.

The property is owned by Morgan and Jonathan Fitzgerald, according to the Webster County assessor’s web page.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Ruhland believes the fire started in the basement.

Webster County sheriff’s deputies and Webster County emergency management also responded.