SALINE COUNTY— A burn pit is being blamed for an early Monday fire in the rural Saline County community of Gypsum.

Just before 1a.m. Monday, deputies and crews from the Gypsum Fire Department and Rural Fire District No. 1 were dispatched to 608 Spring Street for a fire in a detached garage that had at one time been converted to an apartment but was being used for storage, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.

A 49-year-old resident had been burning tree branches and stumps in a pit in the backyard during the weekend. It is believed that embers from the pit sparked the fire.

The garage, as well as several weed trimmers, chain saws, and a pickup were destroyed in the blaze, Soldan said. Total loss was estimated at $5,000.

Additionally, a next-door neighbor, reported an estimated $3,000 in damage to two of his vehicles that were parked adjacent to the property, according to Soldan said.

The homeowner was cited for burning without a permit in violation of Gypsum City ordinance, according to the sheriff.