Lawn mower fire destroys home

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Danny Fendley started more than just his lawn mower when he tugged at its pull cord – he started a fire that destroyed his home.

The mower exploded Tuesday in hot, parched conditions.

Fendley was trying to start the mower in the garage of his two-story brick home when the machine burst into flames. Before he could extinguish the fire, it had spread through the garage.

Then his wife tried to toss a can of gasoline out a window as the blaze spread, but she missed, spreading the fuel “everywhere,” Fendley said.