A vacant house just north of downtown Fort Dodge was severely damaged by fire late Friday night.

No one was injured in the blaze that gutted the house at 549 Third Ave. N. Flames burned through a nearby electrical line, causing the live wire to fall into an alley next to the house.

The fire was reported at 10:03 p.m.

Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter said there was “heavy fire” on the first floor and in the front portion of the home’s second floor. He said holes were burned through the floor and the stairs were destroyed by fire.

Three hoselines were used to extinguish the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire Department and Fort Dodge police. Hergenreter said police removed some apparently homeless people from the house about two hours before the fire was reported.

Six off-duty firefighters were called back to work. MidAmerican Energy crews and Webster County Emergency Management Coordinator Dylan Hagen assisted police and firefighters at the scene.

According to online records of the Webster County Assessor’s Office, the house is owned by Terry and Tessy Degner. It was built in 1881, according to those records.

There was a fire in the house on May 27, 2021. The damage from that blaze was less severe and no one was injured, but two dogs died.