The upper level of a home at 1316 Gill St. was damaged by fire Wednesday evening.

Watertown Fire Chief Dale C. Herman said damage was confined to a second-floor bedroom in the fire reported at 6:52 p.m. by a passerby. When fire crews arrived, smoke was coming from an upper window, but no flames were visible, he said.

No one was home at the time the fire started and no one was injured. Chief Herman said the residence is rented by two males who had left about an hour before the fire was noticed. The men were not able to stay at the residence Wednesday night, but Chief Herman said he did not believe the structure, which sustained smoke and water damage, is a total loss. The property is owned by Reginald J. Schweitzer Jr., Chaumont, according to city property records.

The chief said the residence was equipped with smoke detectors, but they did not activate because of dead batteries. He did not know if the home is insured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.

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