Investigators are searching for the cause of a fire in Mamaroneck that tore through and destroyed a house Tuesday.

A neighbor called 911 at around 12:45 a.m. after seeing flames roaring from the house on Byron Lane. Firefighters say by the time they arrived it was too late to save the home. They say the first floor collapsed in the split-level house, causing extensive structural damage.

Officials say the homeowner was an elderly man who died a couple of weeks ago, so the house was vacant.