The Waterloo Fire Department got an early start to its Saturday, responding shortly before 5 a.m. to smoke coming from a vacant home at 314 North Market Street.

A neighbor said the property recently went into foreclosure and the residence was currently unoccupied.

Waterloo Assistant Fire Chief Brett Wiegand said the small fire started in a storage room of the home and there were flames in the basement. It burned through the first floor, but firefighters were able to respond quickly and contain the fire from there.

“Someone called it in pretty early, so that helped us keep the damage down,” Wiegand said.

Firemen spent most of their 90 minutes on scene ventilating smoke from the structure, he said.

A cause of the fire is not known at this time. The Illinois State Fire Marshal was called in to investigate. Wiegand said the utilities were still functioning in the home even though it was vacant.

Waterloo police and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department assisted at the scene. No injuries were reported.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.