The Missoula Fire Department responded to a structure fire call at 123 W. Kent early Wednesday morning. Emergency personnel arrived on the scene at approximately 1:40 a.m. The fire originated outside and had already climbed the vinyl siding of the single-story house into the attic space.

"Part of the back wall was on fire and the attic space was on fire," fire investigator Charles Talbott said. "So the crews had to extinguish the fire outside and cut a whole in the gable side to completely extinguish the fire."

The homeowner was not in the structure when the fire broke out. Crews took about 15 minutes to completely snuff the blaze. Talbott was called in at around 2 a.m.

"I would say at least $50,000 is what it will take to fix it, " Talbott said.

The home was undergoing renovations in the kitchen area after being purchased recently. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

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