A detached garage was completely destroyed in a Monday morning fore. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to the 700 block of Cottage Ave. At approximately 4:44 a.m. He says that a neighbor was preparing to leave for work when she saw flames coming from the rear of 728 Cottage Avenue. The neighbor was able to alert the family and they escaped safely.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the garage fully engulfed, about 20 feet from the home. A car was just feet away. Wilson says that as firefighters began to stretch fire hoses to the building, they encountered arcing power-lines above the garage. Within minutes, a portion of the power-lines fell to the ground in the area of the garage, causing crews to reposition.

The fire was marked under control at approximately 5:10 a.m. During the fire a large portion of the garage roof collapsed into the building, which contained an a passenger car and lawn moving equipment. A minivan located near the home sustained radiant heat damage. The home itself was not damaged.

Wilson says that as firefighters cleared the scene, Duke Energy was making repairs to the electric utility. Due to the condition of the block wall garage, and the potential for secondary collapse into a public alleyway, the fire department requested the assistance of the Department of Public Works. A front end loader was requested at the scene to push down a block wall leaning into the alleyway.

Wilson says that investigators have not yet been able to determine what caused the fire. Damages have been estimated at $6,000. No one was hurt.