Fire damages vacant house downtown; second house fire in Redding in less than 24 hours

A vacant house was badly damaged by a fire in downtown Redding late Tuesday night, authorities said.

It was the second house fire in Redding in less than 24 hours.

The cause of both fires is under investigation, the Redding Fire Department said.

Firefighters were dispatched around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday to the 2130 block of lower Pine Street. When crews arrived, they found a two-story house engulfed in smoke, the fire department said.

A second alarm was called for additional engines, and crews were able to contain the blaze in approximately 20 minutes, the fire department said.

Investigators said there was no one inside the house and there were no injuries.

The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.

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Earlier Tuesday, a fire damaged the attic and roof of a house in the 3740 block of Ricardo Avenue, the fire department said. Ricardo Avenue is between Bechelli Lane and Interstate 5 west of the freeway.

That fire happened just before 2:30 a.m.

Investigators said no one was at the house at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

The fire caused an estimated $160,000 in damage.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.