A fire destroyed a Quonset at Papa's Pumpkin Patch early Wednesday morning. The popular family destination lost many supplies used for fall and winter activities.

Burleigh County Sheriff's Lt. Nick Sevart said a passer-by alerted Dave Pearce, the owner and operator of the attraction at Fernwood Drive, to the fire by knocking on his door. Pearce called the fire in around 4:15 a.m.

Bismarck Rural Fire Assistant Chief Dan Burgard said the cause of the fire has not been determined, though it does not appear suspicious.

"The building was a total loss," Burgard said.

"It started in the corner, where is located the electrical box, but there was nothing on," Pearce said. "Those typical kinds of things that you might expect to start a fire over heat - they were all unplugged, they were already off. So I really don't know."

Burgard said there was a hay baler, a skid-steer and some bales of hay in the barn, all of which were destroyed.

The fire was contained to the building, and no other structures were damaged. No one was injured.

"There were no animals in this building. There's no life lost," Pearce said, according to The Associated Press. "I mean, it's a lifetime of stuff in that old Quonset … decorations and pieces and parts of the pumpkin patch … but on the high side, it's just stuff. We're still part of a community and I know it's going to help us rebuild."

Papa's Pumpkin Patch, which opened in 1983, has expanded to include numerous family activities and a winter edition, Papa's Polar Patch. Papa's Pumpkin Patch donates to many charities, and volunteers from the community help out there.

"Each year we have members that volunteer at the pumpkin patch, and we're sorry about their loss,"The Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network said in a statement. "We look forward to helping them in the future."

(The Associated Press and reporter Crystal R. Reid contributed to this article. Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)