MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Firefighters in Marshalltown were called out early Monday morning for a structure fire in the 1900 block of S. 5th Avenue.

The Marshalltown Fire Department said in a news release that firefighters were dispatched to a home on fire around 4:25 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found flames shooting through the roof and fire visible through all the windows of the ranch home’s main floor.

Officials said strong winds gusting from 17 to 32 mph caused fire crews to fight the fire defensively. Water was also used to protect a neighboring property downwind from the burning home until the fire was brought under control.

Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours.

No one was home at the time of the fire and the cause remains under investigation.