GYPSUM — A burn pit is being blamed for an early Monday morning fire in Gypsum that caused $8,000 in damage and loss.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said Monday that deputies and personnel from the Gypsum Fire Department and Rural Fire District No. 1 were dispatched to 608 Spring Street at 12:59 a.m. Monday for a fire in a detached garage that had at one time been converted to an apartment but was being used for storage.

According to Soldan, Donald Stebbins, 49, of 608 Spring Street, had been burning tree branches and stumps in a pit in the backyard during the weekend. It is believed that embers from the pit sparked the fire, he said.

The garage, as well as several weed trimmers, chain saws, and a pickup were destroyed in the blaze, Soldan said. Total loss was estimated at $5,000.

Additionally, Stebbins’ next-door neighbor, Alex Weller, 26, reported an estimated $3,000 in damage to two of his vehicles that were parked adjacent to the Stebbins’ property, Soldan said. A 2017 Ford F350 had tailgate damage, scorched paint, and melted plastic, while a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee had melted tail lights, Soldan said.

Stebbins was cited for burning without a permit in violation of Gypsum City ordinance, Soldan said.