DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Fire Department is investigating the cause of a massive fire in the Drake neighborhood that began late Sunday night. 

Captain Chris Clement said the first call came in around 11:35 p.m. Sunday night. Crews were on the scene around two minutes later. 

While at the scene, they were met with massive flames that overtook the old Jethro’s restaurant building near the intersection of 31st Street and Forest Avenue. 

Clement said the building was boarded up for a few years and should have been vacant. 

Their preliminary investigation found that the fire may have started on the exterior of the building before spreading inside. Clement said this may be the case because of how quickly the fire spread to the roof, resulting in its collapse. However, they are continuing to investigate the exact location where the fire started and the cause. 

At least one power line was also affected by the fire. However, MidAmerican was on the scene quickly to turn off power to the impacted area. 

According to the fire department, they struggled with the water pressure from the hydrants, but they were able to get the fire under control by 1:30 Monday morning. 

The cold temperatures were also another obstacle, as temperatures hovered around 0 degrees. Many firefighters were covered in ice while trying to fight the flames. 

DART sent them a bus so they could warm up. 

Massive clouds of smoke blew towards the Drake campus and many students came outside to watch the scene unfold.