Firefighters extinguish garage fire in Col. Falls

The Daily Inter Lake

A Karen Road home in Columbia Falls was damaged Tuesday night by a fire that started outside the home's attached garage.

The fire appears to have begun in a riding lawnmower parked near the garage before spreading to a garbage can, then up the home's vinyl siding and across its roof line, Columbia Falls Fire Chief Bob Webber said.

Flames did not reach the house's living area, which suffered some smoke damage, and the family was not displaced.

"The structure sustained approximately $25,000 in damage," Webber said.

Firefighters responded to the home just before 9 p.m. and had the flames extinguished within a minute.

What caused the lawnmower to ignite is still under investigation, Webber said.

One of the residents suffered a leg injury going back into the house, possibly for a fire extinguisher, before firefighters arrived. The man, who was not burned, was treated at the scene by paramedics from Three Rivers EMS before being taken to the hospital by private vehicle.

Three firefighters suffered minor smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene.