Firefighters had to break through burglar bars on the windows to fight a fire near St. Mary's University on the city's west side early today, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
When firefighters arrived at the house in the 300 block of Holy Cross about 1AM Monday, flames and smoke were already pouring out of the home.
It took crews a while to pry the burglar bars off the building before they could get to the scene of the fire.
A vagrant was seen running for the scene of the fire, and he is suspected to be the cause. Local firefighters have had their hands full in recent months with squatters using empty homes to use drugs, and setting fires while they're in there.