Submitted photo: Webster City Fire battled a blaze in an unoccupied house on John Street early Saturday morning.

Fire of unknown origin seriously damaged a house in the 900 block of John Street in Webster City early Saturday morning.

Webster City Fire was called to 910 John Street shortly before 1:30 in the morning. The single-family home had smoke and flames coming out of the front of the house, Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield said.

Firefighters attacked the fire on the inside immediately, he said. “A 360-degree (search) was taken of the house, along with the start of a primary search. Primary search was completed, no persons found, all clear given.”

Stansfield said there was no one living legally in the home at the time of the fire, and that the residence did not have working utility services.

He said that there have been reports of squatters on the property in the past. He added that there had been a fire at the same property within the last several years. That fire, he recalled, was in the attic.

The registered owner of the property is Deborah Rush, according to the Hamilton County auditor’s online records.

The origin and cause of the fire are still under investigation, Stansfield said. A total of 18 firefighters were on scene.

“There were no injuries, but the house received major damage,” he added.

Assisting at the scene were the Webster City Police Department and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.