A structure formerly used to prevent forest fires went down in a blaze Wednesday morning.

The forest service’s Cachuma Saddle Station, located at the intersection of Happy Canyon Road and Figueroa Mountain Road in Los Padres National Forest, was destroyed in the fire. Despite the loss of the building, forest service and county firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading into the surrounding vegetation.

The Cachuma Saddle Station was built in the mid-1970s. It was mostly vacant since the early 1990s but was used occasionally as a work center and residence for campground hosts. The building has been repeatedly vandalized in the past and was scheduled for removal in 2005.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.