A fire Tuesday destroyed a north-side home that officials described as a "hoarder house."
Fire crews were dispatched around 12:30 p.m. to the single-story home in the 800 block of East Windsor Street, near North First Avenue and East Prince Road.
The fire started in the back yard but quickly spread to the house. Crews tried to enter the house but couldn't because of the excessive amount of material in the home, said Fire Capt. Barrett Baker, a department spokesman.
When it was determined there was no one inside, crews fought the fire defensively from the outside, putting water on the fire inside through the windows and holes cut in the roof.
Once most of the fire was extinguished, crews began removing stored material from inside the house to put out the last hot spots, officials said. It took more than an hour to remove items from the house and douse hot spots, Baker said.
Nine units with 23 firefighters worked the fire. No injuries were reported.
The resident, a man in his 50s, was not at home at the time of the fire, but arrived as fire crews were on scene.
A cause and damage estimate were not available.
