Published: November 28, 2008 10:45 pm      

Fire destroys garage, damages 5 other structures

A fire on West Linden Avenue destroyed a garage and damaged five other structures Friday evening.

Logansport firefighters received a call shortly after 7 p.m. to a garage fire at 134 W. Linden Ave.

Two of the fire trucks were forced to leave the Light Up Logansport Parade in order to respond to the blaze, which had engulfed the garage when firefighters arrived, according to Assistant Fire Chief Kim Costello.

Within about 10 minutes, firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, Costello said.

The garage sat directly behind the house, which was vacant and condemned, according to Logansport Police Officer D.J. Sommers.

The fire caused damage to five surrounding structures, including the house the garage belonged to.

The siding to the house west of the garage was peeling off, and one of the windows had been broken by the heat. To the west, flames burned up the side of a brick garage and traveled to the roof. The house also had damage to its siding.

The heat also damaged the front of the garage across the alley and melted two trash cans.

Firefighters were on scene for more than an hour, while Logansport Municipal Utilities was called in to deal with downed power lines.

Several communication lines were also melted by the flames.

Costello said he was concerned about the power lines and the safety of all those present.

“From one transformer to another or one pole to the next, you don’t know which way it will feed,” he said. “It could have hurt an innocent bystander.”

Tom Risher, an LMU lineman, said four primary power lines and six secondary lines had been damaged and would have to be replaced. He estimated anywhere from 12 to 20 houses were without power as a result of the fire. A second crew had been called in, and Risher said he expected the power would be restored in 4 to 5 hours.

Costello said the garage was a total loss, but no one had been hurt.

The cause and origin of the fire were under investigation, according to Fire Investigator Teddy Franklin.

Logansport Police Detective David Kain was also on scene.

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com