A landscaper trying to burn out a beehive using gasoline started a fire at a Carlstadt fabric company, authorities said.

Firefighters and police who responded Sunday to the Mood Fabrics Company building on Eastern Way found the landscaper trying to douse the blaze from outside the building with water, Detective Sgt. John Cleary said.

Forcing their way inside the warehouse, they found a fire burning near a bay door, Cleary said. Firefighters quickly extinguished it, he said.

Detective John Sanzari was notified, investigated and determined that the landscaper was “attempting to exterminate a bee hive located within a cinder block exterior wall by applying gasoline to burn it,” the sergeant said.

The exterior caught fire first and flames spread into the building, triggering the sprinkler system, Cleary said.

Some fabric was damaged by the excessive smoke, he said, adding that water damage was confined to the area of the fire.

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