An investigation is underway into what caused a fire that destroyed six of eight greenhouses at J.W. Perry in Merrill. The fire broke out there a little after 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department says there was one person inside the greenhouses when the fire started, but no one was injured.

The fire spread rapidly through the structures, creating a large area for firefighters to contain.

"It's probably one of the largest fires we've had in some time in Lincoln County,” said Lieutenant Grant Peterson of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. “It's taking up pretty much full staff of three fire departments and continuous use of the tanker trucks."

Smoke from the fire could be seen from as far away as Wausau.

The fire is still under investigation by the Merrill Fire Department. Lieutenant Peterson would not comment whether foul play was a factor. Early Sunday evening he said authorities were speculating the cause may be electrical in nature.

Stay tuned to NewsChannel 7 and wsaw.com for the latest updates as they become available.