MARION TWP — No one was injured early Sunday morning when fire destroyed a house and garage in northern Butler County, authorities said.

A passing motorist called 911 about 2:15 a.m. after seeing the blaze on the 700 block of Eau Claire Road in Marion Township.

The house was in flames by the time the first crews arrived, said Chief Joe Fitzgerald of the Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company.

“The fire,” he said, “had already spread to the detached garage.”

Crews worked the perimeter to “surround and drown” the fire, while Harrisville volunteer firefighters assisted in pouring water on a large propane tank about 50 feet from the house, as a precaution. They were able to save a Jeep Liberty, a riding lawn mower and a push mower that were outside the two-stall garage.

The blaze was knocked down in about 10 minutes, but the frame was all that remained of the house. Only two walls were left of the garage.

The owner, whose name was not immediately available, was not at home and reportedly in the hospital when the fire started. Damage to the house was estimated at $80,000. It was not known if the owner had insurance.

Fitzgerald said the state police fire marshal was notified, but added the fire was possibly electrical and not believed to be suspicious. Also assisting were firefighters from Eau Claire and West Sunbury in Butler County, Clintonville in Venango County and Pine Township in Mercer County.