An early morning fire has caused extensive damage to a home in Niagara Falls.

Crews were called to a two-storey house on Dunn St. near Stanley Ave. around 4 a.m. Thursday.

Firefighters arrived to find the front of the home completely engulfed in flames.

“We were able to confirm nobody was inside the house at the time. We have done primary and secondary searches on all the floor levels and the house is clear,” said Niagara Falls Deputy Fire Chief Jo Zambito.

Crews worked to quickly extinguish the fire from the interior and exterior of the building.

A neighbour told CHCH News the tenant who lives in the rental home has been away for about a week.

Zambito said damage is quite widespread because the wall cavities in the house are open, allowing smoke and flames to spread from the main floor to the attic.

Fire officials believe the blaze likely started in the front area of the home.

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to investigate.

City crews were brought in to salt the roadway because the frigid temperatures caused the water used to fight the fire to freeze, creating a sheet of ice on the street.