A pilot preparing to take off Thursday afternoon at Bend Municipal Airport struck a pole at the edge of the runway and the plane caught fire, said Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Wall.

No one was injured, but the plane was destroyed.

Wall said the fire was likely started when the impact with the pole produced a spark that ignited excess fuel or fumes on the plane’s wing. The fire was reported at 1:40 p.m., Wall said.

Bend Fire & Rescue personnel responded to the fire and area residents were initially told to stay at least 1 to 1½ miles away to avoid inhaling smoke from the fire.

The pilot was identified as Gordon Leonard Levin, 81, of Los Gatos, California, who was flying with a passenger, a 79-year-old woman, also from Los Gatos.

“During the investigation it was determined the pilot and his passenger had just completed fueling the 1978 Cessna 340-A dual propeller aircraft, when the tip of the wing struck something causing a spark,” Wall said in a news release. “This spark more likely than not ignited the petrol fumes or possibly any excess fuel that was in the area. The pilot detailed attempting to taxi away from the fuel pumps when the wing struck an object causing the fire to start.”