A run-down house was destroyed in a fire early Wednesday in Maple Ridge.
No one was inside the home, located on 122nd Avenue and 224th Street when the fire started around 7:45 a.m.
"It was a very difficult fire to deal with because the house was in poor shape," said Maple Ridge fire chief Dane Spence.
"It was just not safe to go in."
Firefighters battled the blaze from the outside. Five fire trucks and 22 firefighters were on scene at the height of the fire.
Spence said the owner had previously promised to demolish the house which has been vacant for several years. The property is slated for rezoning.
Spence said it is too early to say what started the fire but it appears to be suspicious.
Ridge Meadows RCMP are investigating and add that it is still too early to link the fire to a string of arson fires in the downtown core since April 2013.
The last fire was lit on New Year's Eve and targeted a heritage home on 223rd Street which was destroyed in an arson fire Nov. 13.