A fire caused by sparks from a welding machine damaged two homes in Far North Dallas on Thursday afternoon, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman said.

At 2:44 p.m., firefighters were called to a two-story home in the 16700 block of Village Lane. When crews arrived on the scene, they saw “thick smoke” rising from flames near the back of the home, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. A large black column of smoke from the fire was visible for miles.

No one was in the house at the time of the fire. A neighboring house that was damaged by the flames was also unoccupied at the time, Evans said.

The fire was under control by 3:38 p.m. Although the fire was “largely under control” shortly after firefighters arrived, Dallas Fire-Rescue classified the fire as a Level Two fire due to the intense heat and the proximity of homes in the neighborhood – a rating that requires more responders and resources, Evans said.

By 4:30 p.m., 40 units had already been dispatched to the fire, according to a list of active missions on the Dallas Fire-Rescue website.

Investigators concluded that the fire was “accidental in nature” and started by sparks from welding on a fence near the back of the house, Evans said in a statement Thursday evening.