WASHINGTON – A Capitol Hill house where Sen. Barack Obama rents an apartment caught on fire Sunday, but a spokesman said the Democratic presidential contender was out of town to celebrate Father’s Day.

The fire appeared to be on the third floor of a town house in northeast Washington, and was likely caused by a faulty ceiling fan, said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. Obama rents an apartment on the second floor, Gibbs said.

Obama, D-Ill., was with his family in Chicago on Sunday, Gibbs said.

A spokesman for D.C. Fire and EMS said the fire began in the attic, and there is no indication of foul play or that Obama was targeted. Investigators are looking at “an old fan” as the possible cause.

“It appears to have been a relatively minor fire,” said D.C. Fire spokesman Alan Etter.