Early Catch Saves Kennewick Home from Garage Fire Wed

An early morning garage fire could have been much worse except for one of the occupants who woke up when they smelled smoke.

  Fire damages garage early Wednesday morning

Kennewick Fire crews were dispatched to a home at 3515 West John Day Ave. around 1:47 AM for a report of a garage fire.

Crews arrived within about 4 minutes of getting the call, and saw smoke coming from the garage of the split-entry home. Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael reported crews began what’s called a rapid attack on the fire.

Michael says a family of 3 lived in the home, and an adolescent girl smelled smoke and alerted her father, all occupants were able to safely escape. Thanks to rapid response from the KFD and the homeowner closing the door between the home and garage, damage was confined to that area.

KFD crews has it knocked down and flames were about in about 16 minutes. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Michael said the home was not equipped with operational smoke alarms.

Before leaving, KFD crews supplied the family with several alarms and installed them so the family could re-occupy the home safely once the fire was out.

Michael said it’s imperative for families to have several working alarms in their homes, in some cases depending upon how fast fire and smoke are moving, occupants may have as little as two minutes to get out.