A LeRoy man was transported to the hospital after a garage fire Thursday afternoon.

According to Mower County Chief Deputy Mark May, Mower County deputies were dispatched at 2 p.m. on a report that a detached garage on the property of 510 Main St. East in LeRoy was on fire. A neighbor called 911 after she heard an explosion and saw smoke coming from the direction of the garage.

The property’s owner, Daniel Bartel, 63, was inside the garage doing electrical work when the fire started, according to May. Pedro Padron, 32, of Austin, who was at Bartel’s residence doing drywall work, told deputies he heard the explosion and saw Bartel exit the garage on fire. He went outside and assisted in extinguishing the flames on Bartel, then removed several items from inside the garage, including fuel cans, at Bartel’s request.

The LeRoy Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire before deputies arrived. The Chester Fire Department also responded to the scene.

LeRoy Ambulance Service transported Bartel to Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Marys Campus-Rochester for treatment of burns on his chest and right arm, May said. Padron, whose hair was singed, declined medical treatment.

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. There is no damage estimate at this time.