An early morning fire Monday that badly damaged a vacant house in Butler is suspicious, fire officials say.

The blaze broke out shortly after 2:30 a.m. at 219 E. Brady St., a two-story wood frame house with an attic and basement that had no utilities connected to it, authorities said.

Butler police said they believed the home had been unoccupied for at least a year.

“Any time you have a vacant house with no utilities, it’s a suspicious fire,” said Trooper Luke Nelson, a deputy fire marshal, who planned to inspect the scene this morning as part of his investigation.

A cell phone caller at 2:40 a.m. notified the county’s 911 center of the fire coming from the home that sits two houses east of Cliff Street.

Flames had taken hold of much of the house by the time the Butler Fire Department got there. Firefighters, however, were able to save the structure.

A damage estimate was not available and it was not immediately known if the house can be repaired. Butler Fire Chief Nick Ban did not immediately return a phone call this morning.

At least one other nearby home was jeopardized by the fire but it was not known if that house sustained any damage.

The VA Butler Healthcare’s rapid intervention team assisted city firefighters.

The house that caught fire was purchased by the Federal National Mortgage Association of Dallas in April, according to Butler County Assessment Office records.

Edward Butler, the former owner, had previously converted the house into a duplex.

Fire crews remained at the scene for at least three hours.