CRANBERRY TWP — An abandoned house on 71 acres that will house the Cardinal Wuerl Catholic High School caught fire early this morning.

Mark Nanna, Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company fire administrator, said this morning that the fire was contained to the second floor of the house at 674 Mars-Crider Road.

Nanna said firefighters were called out at 1 a.m. and returned to their stations about 5 a.m. He said the Adams Area Fire District and the Marshall Township Volunteer Fire Company in Allegheny County also were called to the blaze.

Nanna said according to firefighters who responded, the vacant house “was not in real good shape.”

No cause for the fire has been determined by fire officials, Nanna said.

Robert Paserba, superintendent for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, said the diocese’s department of property and planning will visit the house today.

“They will be engaged in determining what caused the fire as well as any follow up that need be done,” said Paserba.

The property was recently sold to the diocese, which want to start construction there this spring on the new Catholic high school.