NORTH POWDER — A fire Saturday afternoon in North Powder destroyed a one-story house but caused no injuries.

The blaze, which was reported at 12:50 p.m., started on the 200 block of Center Street in a shop attached to the house. Nobody was in the home at the time, according to La Grande Fire Department Capt. Robert Tibbetts, who served as the incident commander for the blaze.

Tibbetts said the owner of the home was out of town and a caretaker was in charge of looking out for it.

No buildings around the home were endangered despite a significant wind. The wind was blowing out of the southeast toward the northwest and into an area with no structures nearby. Had the wind been blowing in the opposite direction, Tibbetts said, two buildings would have been at greater risk.

A solid expanse of land between the fire and other buildings also reduced the likelihood of the blaze spreading to other structures.

“There was a good buffer,” Tibbetts said.

At least 25 firefighters were at the fire. The firefighters were from the North Powder Rural, La Grande, La Grande Rural, Union and Haines fire departments. They stayed at the scene until late in the afternoon.

Tibbetts said a box alarm system, which has been in place for about three years, aided in the quick containment of the fire. The system helps fire departments communicate in the event of a blaze so they can more easily join forces.

When there is a fire, the incident commander, the individual in charge of directing firefighting operations, calls the Union County Dispatch Center with a code. The code indicates which fire departments and firefighters are to respond and what type of equipment they are to bring. A dispatch center worker instantly relays the code to the pagers of the appropriate firefighters.

The cause of Saturday’s fire is under investigation. A deputy state fire marshal is assisting with the investigation.