Cooking incident with smoker leads to Clear Lake garage fire
By Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS)
The Clear Lake Fire Department extinguished a blaze on Christmas Eve afternoon at a 2 1/2 story detached garage at 1019 S. Eighth St.
Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly before 2 p.m. and found the garage was fully involved in flames, according to a press release from the department. The structure was determined to be a total loss.
The garage contained a 2011 Ford Edge and a 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle, both of which were destroyed in the fire.
The cause of the fire was traced back to a cooking incident. The homeowner was using a smoker when grease caught fire. Despite attempting to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher, the homeowner was unable to do so.
No injuries were reported, and the garage was insured. A nearby structure, including a second garage and a hot tub, sustained some heat damage. The total loss is estimated at nearly $80,000.
The Clear Lake Fire Department responded with one ladder truck, one fire pumper, one medic unit, and a pickup truck. Mutual aid was provided by the Ventura Fire Department and the Clear Lake Police Department.
The fire department is reminding the public to remain vigilant when driving near emergency vehicles.
“During this incident, a bystander vehicle drove over one of our fire hoses, which could have caused significant damage,” the press release stated. “Fire hoses are expensive, and any damage could have cut off the water supply to our firefighters, hindering their efforts to contain the fire.”
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