Careless smoking has been deemed the cause of a garage fire in Tecumseh that caused $200,000 damage.
Fire crews were called to a bungalow at 385 Lesperance Rd. at around 1:45 p.m. after a cigarette was disgarded by the elderly homeowner in the garage.
Tecumseh Fire and Rescue Chief Doug Pitre said the man’s wife told firefighters on their arrival she suspected the cause was her husband’s careless smoking.
The fire spread into the attic of the garage and adjoining home.
Pitre said the damage could have been worse if there was a door leading directly from the garage to the home.
Crews were able to quickly douse the flames and attempted to prevent excessive water damage to the contents of the house by using tarpaulins.
“We didn’t have a cat to save this time,” said Pitre, in reference to two felines who have been saved from house fires in Tecumseh in the past two months and have been resuscitated with specialized animal oxygen masks.
A Tecumseh firefighter is pictured on the scene of a house fire Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, at 385 Lesperance Rd. in Tecumseh, Ont. The home suffered approximately $200,000 in damages. (DAN JANISSE/The Windsor Star)
A Tecumseh firefighter is pictured on the scene of a house fire Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, at 385 Lesperance Rd. in Tecumseh, Ont. The home suffered approximately $200,000 in damages. (DAN JANISSE/The Windsor Star)
Tecumseh firefighters are cleaning up following a serious garage fire in the 300 block of Lesperance Road. (Dan Janisse/The Windsor Star)
Tecumseh firefighters are cleaning up following a serious garage fire in the 300 block of Lesperance Road. (Dan Janisse/The Windsor Star)
