RENSSELAER, N.Y. -- Rensselaer fire investigators are trying to determine what caused an early morning fire on Green Street. The fire broke out shortly after 4 a.m. at 17 Green Street, destroying the home.

Four other homes on either side of number 17 were also damaged. Two of them are now uninhabitable according the fire chief. A home on First Alley was also damaged.

It took fire crews several hours to put out the fire and subsequent hot spots. They tell us they initially faced some issues putting out it out because the heat from the fire made it difficult to access a nearby hydrant.

"Because of the large volume of fire we had a lot of volume of fire in the main building and it was already into the other two structures. Yeah and it was definitely was a hassle,” said Phillip Foust, Rensselaer Fire Department Chief.

No one was injured, but the Red Cross was called to the scene.