Fire departments from Hillsdale and Jonesville responded to a house fire on Sunday morning.

City of Hillsdale Police got a call at 7:52 a.m. that a house at 12 West St. was on fire, according to Hillsdale Police and Fire Chief Scott Hephner. 

Hephner said both the City of Hillsdale Fire Department and the Jonesville Fire Department  responded quickly. 

“We requested Litchfield to respond with a rapid intervention team,” Hephner said. “There was a possible chance that someone was in the house.”

Hillsdale police sent in a search team to make sure the house was clear, and the rapid intervention team was there for backup in case the search team got trapped inside, Hephner said. 

“The house was full of smoke and our men had to knock down visible flames,” Hephner said. 

Though two adults live in the house, Hephner said, no one was inside during the fire and the rapid intervention team was not needed.

The fire started in the basement and rose to the main floor, according to Hephner. 

“The flames started back up in the kitchen, and we went back in and down the basement to stop the fire,” Hephner said.

After subduing the flames, Hephner said responders checked the walls for hot spots to prevent the building from reigniting. The walls lacked fire breaks, which means if flames caught again, they could shoot up to the attic. Hephner said the structure is still standing, and police performed an investigation Wednesday to determine the cause of the fire.

The investigation results were not available in time for publication.