A Bath Township police officer was doing a routine check of Bath Community Activity Center on June 29 when he saw smoke coming from one of the pavilions.

The officer saw one corner of the pavilion was on fire and was burning up toward the roof, a police report said.

The fire started on the wood decking in a nearby trash can, said Parks Director Mike Rorar. It burned the trash can to the ground, then caught the deck on fire and it spread to the support post.

When the officer saw the fire, he immediately alerted the Bath Township Fire Department and it was extinguished within minutes. Rorar said it looks like someone threw away a candle that melted in the heat and caught fire.

"If it had burned for 10 more minutes, we wouldn't have a shelter over there," Rorar said.

Repairs on the deck have already been started.