No one hurt when lawn mower catches fire, destroys garage near Cary

A fire destroyed a garage and damaged a house Friday morning in an unincorporated area near Cary, but the homeowner will remain in his residence, firefighters said.

Officials say the fire appears to have started after a riding mower began to smoke and then exploded inside a detached garage.

Firefighters were called about 10:20 a.m. to the 28700 block of Bloners Drive, where the resident reported he had just finished cutting his grass with a riding lawn mower. He then put the mower into the garage and went inside the house to change clothes for work.

As he was leaving for work, the resident noticed smoke coming from the garage and, when he looked inside, he saw the riding mower on fire, reports said. As the resident was on the phone calling 911, he heard a noise that sounded like an explosion. When he went to check on the garage, Carter said it was engulfed in flames.

The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes.

Firefighters said the house sustained heat damage, including melted siding and cracked windows. Heat damage also occurred to a neighbor's fence.

A damage estimate is not available. The garage was destroyed, but despite damages, the house remains livable, and the resident said he plans to stay there, firefighters said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it does not appear to be suspicious, firefighters said. No injuries were reported, The fire department was assisted at the scene by the Village of Barrington, Barrington-Countryside and the Fox River Grove Fire Departments.