From staff reports

A fire officials believe was started by a wood-burning stove caused about $100,000 in damage Friday morning to a mechanic’s workshop in Murrayville. No one was hurt.

Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said the 30-foot-by-48-foot workshop at 5434 Marlowe Road was owned by Jack Gilreath. A fire call came in at 11:15 a.m.

When Hall County firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was showing, Cagle said. The plume of smoke was visible from at least five miles away in the area of the Kroger shopping center on Thompson Bridge Road.

The fire destroyed the workshop and most of its contents, mostly woodworking and mechanical tools, as well four pieces of lawn equipment, Cagle said.

An exact cause had not been determined Friday, but Cagle said the fire was accidental and apparently started in the area of a wood-burning stove.