The fire at 930 S. 14th St. was reported at 5:20 p.m. No one was injured.

The fire destroyed the rear portion of the two-story house and spread up into the attic. It also damaged a detached garage behind the house.

Firefighters used three hose lines to extinguish the blaze.

The house has been vacant for a long time, according to Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Surrounded by billowing smoke, Fort Dodge firefighters work to extinguish the last of the flames that destroyed the rear half of the house at 930 S. 14th St.

He said there was a fire there on Feb. 13 that did significant damage. That blaze, he said, was caused by homeless people staying in the house who were using a candle.

The cause of Sunday’s fire remains under investigation. Hergenreter said it was “obviously not an accidental fire.” He said a neighbor told him someone was seen going in and out of the house earlier in the day.

The house is owned by Miaya R. Pendleton, of Fort Dodge, according to online records of the Webster County Assessor’s Office. It was built in 1920, according to those records.

Fort Dodge police responded to the scene along with firefighters.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Flames tear through the roof of the house at 930 S. 14th St. while smoke billows out of a second floor window during a Sunday evening fire.