RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond firefighters responded to an early morning house fire on the city's Northside Tuesday morning.
Fire crews originally responded for a porch fire at the home on Maryland Avenue just before 3:30 a.m.
When they arrived, they found flames extended to the inside of the first floor of the home.
Firefighters searched the home, but determined it was vacant.
Investigators were looking into the possibility that squatters may have been in the home prior to the fire.
"It's always a possibility. Even though it's a vacant house [firefighters] always do a primary and secondary search because Richmond is an urban environment and it's a possibility here," Battalion Chief Kent Taylor said.
Neighbors said the home had been vacant for about a year.
Investigators are now trying to determine what started the fire.
