Nov. 11--TOWN OF TURTLE -- The cause of an early Monday morning fire that destroyed a two-car garage, two vehicles and damaged the nearby house at 9521 S. Molar Lane remains undetermined but not suspicious, said Tim Huffman, town of Turtle fire chief.
Two vehicles parked outside the garage, valued at $25,000, were a total loss in addition to nearly $15,000 damage to the two-story single-family house, he said.
Firefighters from the town of Turtle, town of Beloit and Clinton were called to the scene at 5 a.m. Monday after homeowners reported the fire.
"They heard some cracking noise, looked and saw it," Huffman said.
Firefighters found grass burning alongside the house and fire that had spread to the nearby woods, where trees around both buildings were burning 30 feet high.
"The first thing they did was put all the fire out burning in the grass to keep it spreading to the house that was very, very close (to the garage), Huffman said.
"We even had to cut down a tree," he said.
Fire officials were on scene for more than two hours. Nobody was hurt, Huffman said.
Windows on the side of the house facing the fire were shattered, and the side of the house was discolored from the heat, but the damage will not displace the home occupants, he said.
"When we got there, all the cars were on fire, and the garage had already collapsed. It was a big pile of rubbish and 100 percent down," Huffman said.
Firefighters cooled a propane tank behind the garage.
"They hosed it down, and we cooled it down," he said.
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