Quick action on the part of a Niles firefighter kept a small downtown fire from potentially getting out of hand.

An on-call Niles Township firefighter arrived at a vacant building at 111 N. Second St. shortly after the fire call at around 2:40 p.m. today. Using a fire extinguisher, the firefighter was able to put out the fire before it spread.

The fire was located at the front of the building and on the outside.

“I don’t think there were flames at that point, but it probably wouldn’t have been long before the flames would have taken off and we might’ve had a mess,” Niles City Fire Chief Larry Lamb said.

Lamb said the fire might have been caused by a discarded cigarette touching rotten wood behind a panel on the front of the building. Structure damage was minimal.

“We’ve had these before,” Lamb said.

Digital Imaging Consultants is written on the front door of the vacant building. One firefighter said it used to be an old auto shop.

“They used to call it the old bearcat building, but I don’t know the details behind that,” Lamb said.

The Niles Fire Department, Niles Township Fire Department and Niles Police Department responded.

A portion of Second Street between Main and Cedar streets was closed as fire crews worked.