PENDLETON — Fire erupted early Saturday, Nov. 6, in an abandoned house in Pendleton.

Capt. Dan Hergert of the Pendleton Fire Department said the callout for the blaze came at approximately 5:30 a.m. Crews arrived to find the second story at 241 S.E. Third St. totally engulfed in flames and smoke, he said.

Firefighters took a defensive approach to contain the fire, Hergert said, and protected surrounding homes and other buildings.

There were no injuries or fatalities, and firefighters found no one in the house, he said, but there was evidence of people staying there. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Pendleton sent at least two fire engines and an ambulance to the emergency, and the Pilot Rock Rural Fire Protection District also responded with an engine and crew. Pendleton’s streets were all but empty when the fire department rushed to the scene, Hergert said, so crews only ran emergency lights but no sirens.

Firefighters were packing up and taking off at about 8:30 a.m.

The house has been vacant and rundown for some time. Hergert also said this house has had previous fires.