Fire crews from three different fire departments responded to a fire that broke out Monday afternoon that destroyed three pieces of property and damaged nearby houses.

Firefighters from Dowagiac, Indian Lake and Wayne Township fire departments fought a blaze that broke outside an old barn house near the intersection of West Wayne and Hamilton Streets. Officials arrived at the scene around 5:20 p.m., according to Dowagiac Director of Public Safety Steven Grinnewald.

According to the authorities, the fire started inside one barn house, which then spread to a neighboring barn, owned by another resident. A nearby garage was also engulfed in the blaze. A group of houses surrounding the fire also suffered siding damage, Grinnewald said.

The nearby residences were completely evacuated, and no people were occupying the three pieces of properties at the time of the fire, Grinnewald said.

“Everybody looks safe,” he said.

A group of people from neighboring homes assembled across the street to watch the firefighters extinguish the blaze.

“I’ve seen a lot of fires, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Barb Bobik, who lives nearby the property.

Police with the Dowagiac and Silver Creek police were also present at the scene.