WEST LINN, Ore. -- An early-morning fire heavily damaged a West Linn home on Saturday.

Firefighters showed up at the Sunburst Terrace home and found heavy fire and smoke in the back of the house. They quickly requested a second-alarm and began to attack the blaze.

Lt. Clay Blake said neighbors helped firefighters stretch a fire hose down one block to the closest hydrant as crews searched the home.

"The neighbors' help was invaluable," Blake said. "The fire was spreading quickly and we had just about used the 750 gallons we were carrying on the engine. We needed more water and they delivered."

No one was inside the house when firefighters searched it, leading crews to make a defensive attack. Officials said they were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to adjacent homes.

Crews gained control of the fire about 80 minutes after they arrived at the scene.

The owners of the home were out of town at the time of the fire. It's unclear what caused the blaze.