WAUSAU, Wis (WSAU) A duplex on North First Avenue in Wausau was destroyed by fire on Saturday morning. The cause is still under investigation.

A Wausau police officer in his squad car first noticed the flames around 11-30. They'd spread into the walls by the time firefighters arrived on the scene. The entire front of the home was charred, and the structure is no longer inhabitable.

The fire started on the first floor, possibly in the living room. No one was home at the time, and there were no injuries putting the fire out. The family's cat died in the blaze. A dog escaped. The five people who lived in the home are being relocated with the help of the Marathon County chapter of the American Red Cross.