The Jacksonville Fire Department had a busy Sunday, fighting two garage fires hours apart.
Dispatch was called just before 10AM to 266 Marnico Lane of a structure on fire. According to fire department reports, personnel could see heavy black smoke from the location prior to arrival. Upon arrival, firefighters could see that fire had engulfed a garage and made its way into a residence.
An off-duty firefighter had alerted residents to get out of the home. A resident who was inside the home at the time the fire started said they had felt heat in their bedroom and witnessed the garage on fire and called 9-1-1.
Upon investigation, the fire was undetermined in origin. The residents of the home said they had a heater lamp plugged in between the house and garage for a makeshift greenhouse and/or chicken coop. No injuries were reported. Damages were reported to be approximately $50,000. The scene was cleared shortly before noon.
The Chapin Volunteer Fire Department assisted the Jacksonville Fire Department with fire suppression efforts.
Emergency dispatch received a second garage fire call at 2:28PM for a garage fire at 1153 West Lafayette Avenue. The caller told dispatch they had been working on a carburetor on a Jeep and it caught on fire, igniting a single-car garage.
According to the Journal Courier, neighbors said they heard a loud explosion and then saw flames and smoke.
The heavy flame spread into the East to a 2-car garage attached by roof overhangs. The east garage had another Jeep that was on fire along with a Chevy Impala in the far east end of the second garage. The fire was also spreading into a neighboring 1-car garage to the West.
The 2-story home to the west also received significant heat damage to the vinyl siding, but it never was able to spread into the structure, according to reports.
Damage was estimated to be approximately $55,000. Suppression efforts by Jacksonville Police and South Jacksonville Fire Departments lasted until around 3:40PM yesterday. No injuries were reported.