GREEN MOUNTAIN, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters in east-central Iowa say a rural church was destroyed in a fire sparked by an attempt to smoke out a wild animal that had gotten inside. Station WHO-TV reports that the Monday afternoon fire burned down the Chapel United Methodist Church near Green Mountain. Investigators say someone tried to get rid of an animal that had gotten inside the church using a smoke bomb, which started the fire.

Officials did not indicate what kind of animal had gotten inside. Fire officials say it took seven fire crews and several hours to fully extinguish the blaze. The church was first established in 1867,