The Daily Inter Lake

Two outbuildings were gutted and a home damaged during a Friday afternoon fire in Lakeside.

Firefighters responded to the home, located in the 700 block of Lakeside Boulevard, after the homeowner called 911 about 3 p.m., Assistant Somers Fire Chief Dan Vachal said.

Initial reports from the homeowner's family indicate the fire started when a car sitting in the yard backfired, igniting dry debris and spreading flames to the garage and another wooden outbuilding.

Both structures and the car appear to be a total loss. The homeowner was alone when the occurred and no one was injured.

Vachal said flames spread into surrounding trees and up the side of the nearby log home. It reached the attic before firefighters were able to extinguish it.

"Thankfully it did very little damage to the house itself," said the homeowner's daughter, Joyce Lapp.

Firefighters also put out several small spot fires in the surrounding grass and woods.

About 20 firefighters worked on the fire. The South Kalispell Fire Department, Lakeside Quick Response Unit, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation also responded to the scene.