People doing roof work on a home on Platt Street in Niles are being credited with discovering a fire and calling public safety officials before the fire could spread and possibly do significant damage.

Chief Larry Lamb, of the Niles Fire Department, said the roofers noticed light smoke escaping through the door of a rear garage.

Firefighters were dispatched for a structure fire to the residence in the 800 block of Platt Street at around 11 a.m. and found light smoke and a small fire in the basement.

Lamb said Niles City and Niles Township fire crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

The homeowner was not home at the time of the fire.

Lamb said the fire originated from the chord of an old lamp and that damage to the basement was very light.

The Niles Police Department and Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service assisted at the scene.