Fire damages vacant home in Modesto

MODESTO -- An early morning fire caused about $10,000 in damage to a small vacant house west of downtown Modesto on Monday.

Firefighters with the Modesto Regional Fire Authority were called to a home at 910 Fourth St. about 7:30 a.m. on a report of a fire inside the single-story, 950-square- foot home.

There was nobody inside, although Battalion Chief Randy Anderson said it looked as if transients might have been staying there. The fire started in a couple of locations, although damage was contained to the floor and subflooring, Anderson said.

The blaze took about 12 minutes to control. No firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.