VENANGO TWP — An outdoor wood-burning stove caught fire early this morning in northern Butler County.

The burner, in a 5-by-5-foot wood and vinyl enclosure, some 50 feet from a house, was destroyed but no one was hurt, authorities said.

A passing motorist apparently saw the flames about 5:15 a.m. and reported the blaze in the 3000 block of Route 38, said Josh Sullivan, an assistant chief for the Eau Claire Volunteer Fire Department.

The shed-like enclosure already was up in flames by the time firefighters from three companies arrived. The homeowners were there but their house was not threatened, fire officials said.

The fire was out in 20 minutes.

“We don’t know what started it,” Sullivan said. However, he noted, the blaze is not considered suspicious.

A damage estimate and the names of the homeowners were not immediately available. Assisting the Eau Claire VFD were firefighters from North Washington and Marion Township.