A Wednesday evening fire destroyed a small Walnut Avenue home that has been vacant for some time, pulling in the resources of three fire departments.

The fire at 1836 Walnut Avenue was reported at approximately 8:15 p.m. and within minutes Ceres Fire Department was on scene. It was quickly determined that nobody was inside the home, which was fully involved, and an attack on the fire was launched with the aid of Modesto and Stanislaus Consolidated fire departments. The flames were doused within 20 minutes but firefighters stayed for another hour and a half to make sure the fire did not rekindle.

The fire occurred across the street from a burned out two-story home that has been repeatedly targeted by arsonists. That house was in the process of being remodeled but never finished when it first caught on fire. The new charred home joins a public nuisance that has not been cleaned up and which caught on fire in February 2015 after juveniles were seen running away from it.