Investigators have determined Wednesday afternoon’s house fire at 1910 Fort Street  was accidental.

In a Friday morning news release, Hays Fire Chief Gary Brown said the fire most probably originated from an unknown but accidental cause in the void space between the wood ceiling in the basement and the floor above.”

“It’s believed the fire smoldered in this area for some time, weakening the floor joists until it burned through the floor and, with adequate air, began to spread rapidly on the first floor,” he added.

The investigating team included the City of Hays Police Department, City of Hays Fire Department and Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office.

No one was at home when the blaze broke out.  There were no injuries.