Firefighters were called to the scene of a fire on the 500 block of Kissel Avenue in Altoona on Monday morning. No injuries were reported, but two people were displaced as a result of the blaze. Mirror photo by Calem Illig

A closed bedroom door helped stop a fire from spreading through a city residence Monday morning.

Firefighters arrived on scene at about 8:25 a.m. and reported flames and smoke showing from the first floor of a residence on the 5000 block of Kissel Avenue.

According to Altoona Assistant Fire Inspector Justin Smithmyer, firefighters aggressively attacked the fire by deploying multiple handlines and were able to mitigate the bulk of the flames within minutes.

“When crews arrived, there was fire showing from the (left) side of the building,” Smithmyer said. “Firefighters were quickly able to gain access to the residence to knock down the fire and stop it from spreading. Our crews put a very quick stop on it.”

No one was home at the time of the blaze, but Smithmyer said that when the homeowners left for work earlier in the morning, they left a bedroom door shut.

Smithmyer said the closed door helped delay the spread of the fire, and had the door not been closed, the damage could have been much worse as the fire was likely to spread to other parts of the residence.

“We always preach ‘close before you doze’ and urge everyone to keep bedroom doors closed, especially at night,” Smithmyer said. “This was a prime example of how just a simple task like that can stop a fire from spreading.”

Smithmyer said the damage was contained to a small portion of the house, but two people were displaced as a result of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters remained on scene for about two hours to contain any other hot spots.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.