PORT COLBORNE - Fire tore through a Stanley St. garage on Tuesday causing more than $170,000 in damage.

Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services responded to reports of a vehicle fire in the garage of a home at 501 Stanley St. at about 10:30 a.m.

The owners of the home were alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm and were able to vacate the house without injury.

“See, working smoke alarms in homes do save lives,” said Port Colborne fire Chief Tom Cartwright, who was still on scene shortly before 4 p.m. He stressed the importance of ensuring alarms are correctly installed and working properly.

Firefighters were able to move quickly and get the blaze under control.

“There was tremendous heat,” Cartwright said of the fire, which at one point had flames coming out of the top and back of the garage.

The garage contained storage space in its top half, which also caught fire. Access to the storage area was impeded by the garage door, which had to be removed, Cartwright said.

The garage was attached to the house through a sun room.

Firefighters were able to cut the fire off in the room and prevent any significant damage from reaching the interior of the home. The interior did receive some minor smoke damage.

The house next door to the garage also sustained damage.

Cartwright pegged the damage caused by the fire at $75,000 for contents of the garage, $75,000 for the structure and $20,000 to $25,000 for exposure damage done to the neighbouring home.

The fire is believed to have started in the engine compartment of the 2004 Chrysler Sebring parked in the garage, Cartwright said.

The convertible was in “immaculate condition” and hadn’t been driven in about a week, he said, adding it was used as a weekend vehicle by the homeowners.