DES MOINES, Iowa — An early-morning fire destroyed a home in the Easter Lake Area neighborhood on Tuesday.

Fire crews were dispatched to 2556 Easter Lake Drive just before 2:00 a.m., according to Lt. Gene Emery of the Des Moines Fire Department. When crews arrived there was heavy flame coming from the structure and part of the roof was already collapsing.

Firefighters attacked the blaze from a defensive position and didn’t enter the structure. The extreme cold did pose challenges for crews. Lt. Emery said the weather, “Makes things miserable.” He said fire crews were rotated in and out because of the temperatures, to make sure they had a chance to warm up from the frigid cold.

The homeowner and his dog, the only residents of the home, were not home at the time of the fire. Lt. Emery said the homeowner had left about an hour to 90 minutes before the fire was reported.

Crews were able to get the fire under control and they left the scene around 4:00 a.m. The fire did rekindle around 7:00 a.m. and firefighters were sent back out to extinguish the flames and put water on hot spots.

No injuries to firefighters were reported and the home is considered a total loss.