The former home of first lady Betty Ford has been destroyed in an early morning fire in Ohio . Fire officials in Maumee say the home once occupied by Ford and her first husband , William Warren , was destroyed in a fire that began early Saturday around 3am . The Blade in Toledo reports Ford and Warren lived in the house in 1942 and 1943 while she modeled and sold merchandise at a department store . The couple divorced after five years of marriage and Betty went on to marry future president Gerald Ford in 1948 . She died in 2011 . Destroyed : The home of former First Lady Betty Ford was burned down in a blaze that started early Saturday in Maumee , Ohio . Before : Betty Ford lived in the home with her first husband , William Warren , in the 1940s . The cause of the fire is still under investigation , but the fire chief says investigators believe it began in the basement . The chief says the fire engulfed the roof and floors , making the home a total loss . No occupants were inside . 'It ’ ll be torn down , unfortunately . It ’ s a historic home in Maumee , ' Maumee Fire Chief Brandon Loboschefski said . A homeowner at the scene of the fire said that it was an investment property , and that they were carrying out renovations on the home . Neighbor Bert Trochelman told the Blade that the house had been unoccupied for years despite having several owners . He says there were workers on Friday cutting trees at the property . The Warrens divorced after five years of marriage and Betty went on to marry future president Gerald Ford in 1948 . The Fords pictured above .
Betty Ford and first husband William Warren lived in the Ohio , Maumee home during their five-year marriage . The couple divorced and Betty went on to marry future president Gerald Ford in 1948 . Fire broke out at the home early Saturday ; it was unoccupied .