KALAMAZOO —

Seven

fire trucks were at the scene of a fire that caused extensive damage to a two-story house at 319 W. Walnut St., between Westnedge Avenue and South Park streets.

Witnesses said the fire began sometime after 5 p.m. Emergency vehicles shut blocked traffic on Westnedge as officers battled the fire.

No one was injured in the fire, according to KDPS Lt. Mike McCaw. Firefighters worked for 45 minutes to contain the fire, entering the home to extinguish the flames using hoses, he said.

There was extensive damage to the second floor of the home where the fire is thought to have originated, but it was not a total loss, McCaw said. Firefighters cleared the scene by 7 p.m. and the KDPS fire marshal had arrived to investigate the cause and origin of the fire, McCaw said.

Jeremy Quentin, 23, lives next door to the home. He said the homeowner had left Kalamazoo and told him he was not returning until April.

"I was in my room when my roommates screamed at me that the house next door was on fire," Quentin said. "I just stayed put."

Witnesses who know the homeowner said that the same house caught fire four years ago.