BLAZE GUTS STORAGE BARN IN JACKSON

JACKSON, Mo. -- When the alarm sounded at 9:39 a.m. Monday, Jackson firefighters knew the blaze was nearby. From the fire station, they could see thick black smoke curling into the sky to the northwest.

The fire quickly gutted a storage barn at the Beggs Lime Co. off West Jackson.

"When you get smoke showing that soon, you know it's going pretty good," said fire chief Brad Golden. "It's got a good head start on you."

Scott Beggs, manager of the lime company, said he was in the nearby Pioneer Orchard, another family business, when he saw the smoke.

"I was worried it was Mom and Dad's house," he said. "I was worried someone was in there."

But nobody was inside. Beggs said he and company workers were able to move two lime trucks and a loader from the area of the building before the flames consumed the structure.

A fully-stocked maintenance shop, however, was destroyed. The Jackson Fire Department estimated the damage exceeds $125,000.

Investigators believe a furnace malfunction sparked the blaze.

No injuries were reported.