CHICORA — A tenant destroyed a bees nest with a liquid Wednesday evening but inadvertently caught his mobile home on fire, leaving himself temporarily homeless, authorities said.

No one was hurt in the fire shortly before 7 p.m. at 105 Water St. The renter was not identified.

“He was using flammable liquid to kill a bees nest and the vapors may have hit an ignition source,” said Chief Jason Miller of the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department.

The nest, he said, was apparently under the porch but attached to the building. A water tank is in that crawl space area, Miller said.

Nearly three dozen firefighters from five departments were called.

“There was heavy smoke coming out the doors and windows when we got there,” Miller said. “The fire was coming through the floor.”

The blaze was knocked down within 15 minutes, authorities said, and confined to the crawl space where it started and a laundry room right above.

However, firefighters remained past 8 p.m., battling hot spots in the trailer’s floor and walls.

Damage to the home, owned by Harley Flick, is estimated at $10,000. Miller did not know if Flick has insurance.

The Butler chapter of the American Red Cross was called to assist the tenant, who apparently did not have renter’s insurance or an immediate place to stay until the mobile home was repaired.

Assisting the Chicora VFD were firefighters from Petrolia, Bruin and East Butler in Butler County, and Sugarcreek Township in Armstrong County.