A gun shop in Forest Lake was severely damaged in a large fire on Monday night.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the blaze at Lakes Trading Company at 95 8th Avenue SW. Nobody in the shop was injured, shop and gun range owner Ben Oliver said in a Facebook post.

"Everyone got out safe," he said.

The range roof collapsed, but the shop roof appeared to remain intact during the fire, which broke out around 8:40 p.m.

Firefighters from several departments battled the fire.

In a subsequent posting, instructor Birdie Zerwas said it was a "sad and difficult night" but there are things to be thankful for.

"We're grateful for our Lakes Trading family/employees that are there for each other in tough times like this," Zerwas wrote early Tuesday morning. "We're grateful for the fire and police departments for doing such a wonderful job. We are grateful to all of you in our community for being so kind with your words and support as well as offering to volunteer to help us as we take this day by day."

The store and range will be closed until further notice, Oliver said.

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