A riding lawn mower is thought to have started a fire that destroyed a garage in Center Township over the weekend.
Assistant Chief of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department Mike Pflugh said the fire started about 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside a detached garage on Watterson Lane, off Route 308.
Joe Rakoci, who rents the home, had just finished cutting the grass. As he was putting the mower away inside the garage, he heard it backfire but didn’t think much of it.
“Next thing he knows, his son says ‘the garage is smoking,’ ” Pflugh said.
Firefighters immediately worked to stop the fire from spreading to the nearby home. The house, and a side porch, did receive heat damage.
An SUV, the lawn mower and other items inside the garage were destroyed. In total, damage is estimated between $90,000-$100,000.
No one was hurt.