PENDLETON — An investigation is underway into a Pendleton house fire that broke out shortly after code enforcers cleared the property for abatement.

Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram said city official code enforcement were at 205 SE 16th St. the morning of Friday, April 18, to carry out an abatement for a longstanding code violation that’s been in the works for a few months.

“When we were at the property Friday, there were several people inside the residence, who were told to leave because we were operating under a court order from the city attorney’s office to abate the residence,” Byram said.

The city abatement crew was told the property was empty before beginning work. As the officials started, smoke and flames appeared around the house. Byram said the fire spread quickly, according to witness accounts.

Pendleton Fire Chief Tony Pierotti said the fire station’s proximity to the scene allowed for a quick response, but the house was engulfed in flames when crews arrived.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than 20 minutes, Pierotti added.

The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported at the engulfed home.

Flames had charred the home’s wraparound porch and scorched part of a blue Chevrolet sedan in the front yard. The morning of April 21, the windows and doors were boarded up, and sofa chairs, empty luggage and garbage bags filled with clothing and household items were scattered across the yard.

Pierotti said a neighboring home may have sustained minor damage to its siding from the heat, but the fire was contained to the original structure.

Byram said officers identified and questioned the individuals seen leaving the house before the fire started. They cleared out of the property along with the homeowner at the time. Officers asked whether they had ignited anything before taking off, but all denied setting the fire.

Pierotti said an Oregon State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire.

Byram said the Pendleton Police Department is awaiting the results of the investigation.