Altoona Fire Department firefighters look for hot spots after a house fire at 2201 Sixth Ave. was extinguished on Tuesday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

A fire early Tuesday afternoon damaged a house on Sixth Avenue at the corner of 22nd Street.

The single resident and two guests who were inside at the time escaped without injury, according to Altoona fire inspector Justin Smithmyer.

Crews first learned of the blaze when firefighters in a truck that happened to be just a couple blocks down the avenue noticed smoke, called in the alarm and drove to the scene, said Fire Chief Adam Free.

Area resident Mike Pappas was driving down Sixth Avenue past the house when he saw black smoke and flames, he said.

He stopped, but a woman in a car ahead of him had also stopped and was calling 911, he said.

Firefighters showed up “within moments,” Pappas said.

The fire scorched the roofed front porch and buckled vinyl siding on the front and the southern side of the house.

There was minor smoke damage inside but no fire damage there, according to Free.

The resident was instructed to ask an electrician to ensure that no electrical apparatus was damaged before moving back in, according to Smithmyer.

Wiring can be damaged by heat alone, he said.

The fire department was planning to contact the Red Cross in case the resident needed temporary help with living arrangements, Free said.

The house is “fixable,” Free said.

He estimated the cost of repairs at $10,000 to $15,000.

As Smithmyer understands it, the resident has insurance.

The cause of the fire is undetermined for now, Smithmyer said.

There has been a rash of fires in the city lately, including two fatal fires on successive days —

March 18 and 19.

Those are still under investigation, Free said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.