A short-lived but intense blaze destroyed a garage in Perry Monday morning, which was reportedly caused by an overheated lawn mower.

A pillar of black smoke could be seen for several miles, with the origin being the garage of a house located at 505 Lucinda Street. Assistant Perry Fire Chief Brian Eiteman said they received a call on the fire from a neighbor just before 10 a.m., and by the time crews arrived on scene the structure was completely engulfed. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames by 10:30 a.m., but by then the garage was burned to the ground. The siding on the house the detached garage belonged to was melted by the heat of the fire, and there was also heat damage to the siding of a neighboring garage and a camper parked in the alley.

Fire Chief Chris Hinds said the house and garage are owned by Lloyd Fagin, who had just finished mowing his lawn and had parked the mower in the garage. Eiteman’s investigation of the scene indicated the fire originated from the mower. No one was injured in the incident, though the garage and all its contents were destroyed. The Perry Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, and representatives from Alliant Energy assisted at the scene.