A vacant house on Old Route 68 in Forward Township was destroyed by fire Thursday afternoon. The cause is under investigation.

FORWARD TWP — A house that has been vacant for several years burned down Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to 210 Old Route 68 shortly before 2 p.m. The building was fully involved when they arrived, said Steve Bicehouse, chief of the Evans City Volunteer Fire Department. No one was injured.

The house, which did not have any utility lines hooked up to it, had a driveway too small for fire trucks.

Firefighters had to use water tanker trucks since there was no fire hydrant nearby.

Some of the trees on the property were scorched, and firefighters worked to keep the flames from spreading.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by state police fire marshal, Bicehouse said.

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in damage, according to a report by Trooper David Jungling, fire marshal.

Several neighbors said the house is owned by Bertha Burry, a woman who has lived at St. John’s Specialty Care Center for more than five years.

Burry, 97, lived in the house for many years with her mother, neighbor Roger Dambach said.

Since moving out, the property had become overgrown, he said.

Butler County real estate records show that the house is on 43.9 acres owned by Burry.