A large header of smoke and exploding propane tanks greeted the first firefighters as they arrived at a rural shop fire late Friday afternoon.
The fire was reported at 3:57 p.m. at 25708 N.E. 50th Ave. in the Daybreak area of Clark County.
Flames erupted from an old 15- by 30-foot outbuilding on the property, and fire spread to a nearby pickup. The shop was destroyed.
A second alarm was quickly called. In total, about 25 firefighters from three different agencies helped battle the blaze.
“The second alarm was called because of the threat to the residence. They didn’t want to take any chances,” said Clark County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy.
Clark Public Utilities was called to deal with downed power lines.
Because the area is rural, with no hydrants, water was transported to the scene using fire tenders. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the home, Dawdy said.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office was sent to the property to investigate what caused the fire.
It’s suspected that the fire was sparked by smoldering weeds, Dawdy said. Earlier in the day, a resident burned weeds around the house — a type of open burning that’s not allowed in Clark County.
“Fire season is here. It’s dry. It’s hot. You really have to be a lot more careful with fire this time of year,” he said.
Dawdy advises residents to get burn permits and burn yard debris in a pile.
