UPDATED: Cause of House Fire Still Under Investigation

A house fire severely damaged a home in southern Inver Grove Heights on Sunday morning.

The Inver Grove Heights Fire Department and fire fighters from Eagan and Rosemount responded to the fire at 11278 Rich Valley Boulevard just before 4 a.m. on Sunday morning.

On Monday morning, a portion of the home's roof was caved in, and scorch marks had blackened the exterior of the home. No one was home at the time of the blaze, but the home was a total loss, according to Fire Chief Judy Thill.

Thill characterized the fight to put out the fire as a "defensive attack", and said the house was fully engulfed by the time fire crews arrived. For that reason, Thill said, the department concentrated on making sure the flames didn't spread to any nearby outbuildings.

Approximately 25-30 firefighters spent more than four hours fighting the fire, which was extinguished at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. It took firefighters a total of 14 minutes from the time of the call to arrive at the scene, Thill said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Thill said.