An abandoned Pickering farmhouse that was recently in the spotlight for containing a dungeon burned to the ground early Friday morning.

Durham police said the blaze at 140 Concession Rd. 7 broke out some time after midnight.

The 136-year-old farmhouse made the news in December after police discovered someone had recently built a dungeon inside.

The 12-by-8-foot room had three chains hanging from the ceiling, according to photos obtained by CBC News. A white bench was placed against one wall with a row of four plastic water jugs next to it on a grey tile floor. The windows were too strong to be broken and the door reinforced, according to a CBC News source, who also said the room appeared freshly-painted and fortified when it was discovered.

The room, which was secured with a heavy door and several locks, wasn’t there when the house was examined in November 2010.

It’s unclear what caused the blaze, but Friday afternoon a blackened brick chimney was all that was left of the mysterious farmhouse and smoke continued to billow from the flattened foundation.

Emergency vehicles blocked a dirt path leading to the house as fire crews doused the smoldering rubble throughout the afternoon.

With files from Amy Dempsey