MADRAS — A fire at a golf-cart rental company undergoing a heavy remodel destroyed the building Thursday afternoon and threatened neighboring businesses and homes.

Around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Jefferson County Fire & Emergency Services received calls from neighbors of High Desert Golf Cars reporting a major fire in the two-story structure.

The same business caught fire in June. Fire Chief Jeff Blake said the owners had just left the site around 15 minutes before the building caught fire. 

“We were able to make a good attack, and we were able to catch it before it got to anyone,” Blake said. 

The fire was contained around 3:30 p.m., but a cause has not yet been determined. 

The Madras Police Department evacuated a mobile home park located near the construction site. 

With the temperature above 100 degrees, neighbors doused their lawns with garden hoses to keep the flames away.

Mike Brandenburg, who works next door at Gray’s Automotive, was working outside in the afternoon. He went inside for several minutes and when he returned, the neighboring business was fully engulfed in flames.

“It was intense,” he said. “It burned down pretty fast. I had a hose, trying to keep it from jumping into our yard.”

Because of high temperatures, grass behind the site caught fire. Personnel with the Bureau of Land Management were on scene to prevent further spread.