SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a Sioux City home that contained an exotic bird store was destroyed in an afternoon grass fire. The Sioux City Fire Rescue department says five adults lived in the residence and that only the homeowner was there when the structure caught fire Tuesday. The homeowner escaped safely, and no other injuries were reported.

The Hinton fire chief says he doesn’t have details about the birds but says the owners gave authorities permission to take them to an area pet shelter. The Sioux City Journal reports the grass fire started on the Woodbury County line and spread north into Plymouth County. Firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish the blaze.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire.