SHIRLEY - With planting season around the corner, a fire Friday destroyed a shed packed with farm equipment in rural Shirley.

The fire was spotted about 1:30 p.m. by a motorist on Interstate 55. Firefighters arrived to find the metal-sheathed wooden building engulfed in flames, said Dale Township Fire Chief Rusty Wright.

"There were two full diesel tanks-1,500 gallons total-and they were getting quite hot," he said. "We put water on them immediately."

The fire was so intense "we extinguished it from the outside," Wright said.

The state fire marshal's office said the cause was undetermined but likely electrical, the chief said.

No farmhouse was on the property near 8973 E. 850 North Road.

A preliminary damage estimate was $80,000 to $90,000. Three older tractors, a sprayer and a seed drill were among the losses.

"There was a considerable amount of farm machinery and shop equipment inside," Wright said. "It was a working farm."

Firefighters from Allin, Bloomington, Mount Hope-Funks Grove and Randolph townships helped fight the blaze. About 30 firefighters were at the scene.

Smoke was seen in Atlanta about 15 miles away.

The last firefighters left the scene shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.