BUFFALO TWP — Firefighters responded in freezing conditions early Saturday morning to a fire in a vacant home on Ralston Road.

Fire Chief Matt Cypher said the township volunteer fire department responded about 3:50 a.m. to the 100-block property.

“There was a fire in the back of the structure and in the basement,” Cypher said.

“We got it knocked down in about half an hour.”

Crews from more than six fire departments assisted. Most crews went back in service by 5:30 a.m., according to 911 reports.

Cypher said the home was vacant.

“The cause of the fire is still undetermined,” he said.

Cypher said the property was badly damaged.

“It’s likely a total loss,” he said, but he did not have an estimated value of damage early Saturday morning.

Information on the property owner was not known Saturday morning.

Temperatures reached zero in Butler County at the time of the call with wind chills recorded at 18 below zero.

Cypher said the freezing conditions were an added challenge in fighting the flames.

“The road all around the structure is frozen right now,” he said.

It was the second fire in the township within 48 hours. A home on Route 356 was destroyed by fire Thursday night.