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.

The fire swallowed up their kitchen, but they were saved by the alarm.

That was the story Oct. 2 at a home on Summers Dr. in Thorold. When food left in a toaster oven and oil boiling on the stove to make onion rings ignited, the smoke alarm inside the home went off and alerted the four students living there, said city firefighters.

The kitchen was gutted and firefighters figure the home suffered about $100,000 in damage. But the students survived.

“If there hadn’t been a working smoke alarm, the fire could have gotten that much more intense,” said Larry Robertson, captain of the city’s fire prevention squad. “There could have been a lot more damage than there was.”

But the alarm was there - which is progress, he said.

“Through education, people are starting to realize that it’s the law to have them and the importance of them,” he said.

That’s one of the messages firefighters are trying to spread this week - it’s Fire Prevention Week.

Robertson said by law, you should have a smoke alarm on every floor and outside all sleeping areas. And he said if there is a fire, it’s best to have two ways out of your home.

“It’s important that everyone has a plan on getting out safely,” he said. “If you can’t get out the front door, maybe your second means of egress is the back door.”

The students, at least, had a way out and an alarm.

Robertson said the fire was sparked after the food was put on the stove. It was forgotten, though, when the students went to play video games.

By the time the alarm sounded, there was already a massive blaze in the kitchen.

He said not leaving a running stove unattended is another key part of fire prevention.

More to come.

"I saw the fire trucks right outside my house. I went outside and that's when I saw the smoke," said the 65-year-old woman. "I thought, 'Oh, my God. That's my house.'"

Just after 11 p.m. Wednesday night, firefighters were called to 6090 Carlton St. for a house fire.

Luckily for Talaber, it wasn't the house she was living in, but the smaller house she rents to tenants on her property just behind her address.

When firefighters arrived, the flames were coming from the basement and the female tenants of the house were outside suffering from smoke inhalation, said platoon chief Harry Waters.

"Apparently (one of the tenants) went back in to get a cat," he said, adding he heard she rescued it and got out. "We never encourage people to go back inside a burning house. No belongings or animals are worth your life."

Deputy fire chief Jim Jessop said on Thursday the cause of the fire was improper disposal of a cigarette.

"There was a lot of material around the area where the fire started. It could have been bedding or clothing," Jessop said.

Damage to the house is estimated at around $100,000.

Jessop said the situation had the potential to be a lot worse had the fire department not installed working smoke alarms just a couple months prior.

"Charges had been sworn for not installing them and the Niagara Falls Fire Department will never leave a house without working smoke alarms," said Jessop. "We were very fortunate we did that. It more than likely saved their lives."

The tenant who was reported to go back into the house was treated for severe smoke inhalation at Greater Niagara General Hospital and was later released. The other female tenant was also treated for minor smoke inhalation.

matt.day@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: @Matt_Review