Fire burns Harrisville garage to the ground
HARRISVILLE — A wood burner may have sparked a blaze Sunday morning that burned a garage to the ground, fire officials said.
A car and other property in the unattached garage at 339 W. Mercer St., were destroyed in the fire about 5:35 a.m.
A neighbor called 911 after spotting flames coming from the two-stall garage at the home of Troy and Amy Mack, who were home but unaware of the fire, Chief Mark Stoops of the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department said.
By the time firefighters got there, the 40-by-28-foot garage was already gone.
“It was all wood,” Stoops said, “and it was pretty old, probably 60 or 70 years old.”
While the garage could not be saved, some 40 firefighters from four departments were able to protect the Macks’ house.
“We limited the exposure to the home,” Stoops said. “There was only a little damage to some vinyl siding and a window broke from the heat.”
Firefighters employed a tanker shuttle to get water from a pond three-quarters of a mile away to the blaze.
In addition to a Ford Escape that was in the garage, the fire destroyed two lawn mowers, an all-terrain vehicle, golf cart and numerous tools.
Damage to the garage and contents was estimated at $40,000. The property is insured.