A Lawrence home sustained exterior damage in a fire Sunday evening.

About 8 p.m., Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical crews responded to reports of a structure fire at 316 N. Crestline Drive. The fire was contained to the north side of the home and the home’s interior was not damaged, said Capt. James King.

Chris Thompson, a 19-year-old Lawrence resident whose mother lives nearby, said he spotted smoke in the area of the house and then saw flames shooting up at least 10 feet above the roof.

He said he alerted the home’s owner, who was inside the house, and the two used garden hoses to try to put out the fire before crews arrived.

“They got here just as we put it out,” Thompson said.

He said he heard from a resident of the home that rags that had been used to stain a deck earlier in the day were placed near the side of the house, in the area where the fire started.

“I guess the rags combusted with the heat or something, that’s what they’re thinking,” Thompson said.

With crews still on the scene, King said shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday that the fire’s cause had yet to be determined and an estimate on the cost of the damage was not available.