Oct 21, 2015 1 min read

Embers that blew out of a burn barrel and caught dried leaves on fire Tuesday afternoon caused of a blaze that destroyed a detached garage at a residence at 600 Gun Ridge Road in West Finley Township.

When the fire was first reported at 4:15 p.m., firefighters were told there were cars inside the building, said West Finley fire Capt. Stevie Emery. The garage was fully involved when firefighters arrived 11 minutes after getting the call, but there were no cars inside the building owned by Robert and Teresa Scherich.

Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control and contain it to the building, which contained items including a tractor and a crossbow. Damage to the building and contents is estimated at $45,000.

Firefighters were told the residents had been burning papers inside the barrel when the wind took some of the embers and blew them over to the leaves around the garage.

Assisting at the scene were firefighters from Claysville, West Alexander and Dallas, W.Va., Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours.