Firefighters battle smoke, flames in Lexington KY house fire

A home near downtown Lexington suffered damage as a result of a fire Tuesday afternoon.

Holly Buchenroth with the Lexington Fire Department said firefighters received a report of a possible structure fire at the 300 block of Merino Street at 2:32 p.m. Tuesday. Crews arrived almost immediately since station No. 3 is on the corner of Merino Street and Maxwell Street, and saw smoke and flames upon arrival.

Buchenroth said a second alarm was called to help extinguish the fire due to the excessive heat and having to rotate crews in and out of work to avoid dehydration.

No one was home when the fire sparked and no one was injured, Buchenroth said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Officials have closed off access to Merino Street from West Maxwell Street while firefighters investigate. The Lexington Traffic Management Center said there is a possibility of travel delays in the area.