PORTAGE (WKZO) -- Some do-it-yourself fire fighters were first on the scene of an early Sunday morning fire in Portage, they may have slowed the fire’s advance, but they couldn’t stop it.

The owner of the home at 4317 E. Milham arrived at home at about 2:13AM to find the neighbor spraying a garden hose on the back of his home and a raised deck, trying to put out a fire.

The homeowner took over on the hose until Firefighters arrived and finished extinguishing the fire.

Fire investigators say it appears to have started on the exterior of the home near a light fixture and then spread to surrounding areas, but a definitive cause has not been determined.They estimate the damage to the home and its contents at $15,000.