Grill fire damages La Porte garage
Datetime:2012-05-31 Hits:
La PORTE — A garage and motor vehicle in La Porte were consumed by fire when a barbecue grill netting was lit too close to the structure.
Fire Chief Andy Snyder said a can of gas just a few feet from the grill may have ignited by heat radiating off the burning charcoal.
The fire was reported Sunday morning in the 800 block of West 11th Street. Damage was estimated at $30,000.
According to police, Larry Culver, 50, said he started the grill with lighter fluid and went inside his home to get meat when he noticed heavy smoke coming from the detached garage.
Culver told police gusty winds could have blown some of the fire from the grill into the garage.
Snyder said another possibility is the heat off the grill ignited the vapors emitting from a gas can for the lawn mower.
“He stated he heard a loud swishing noise, like percussion type noise, which probably was the flammable liquid igniting,’’ Snyder said.
He added that heat from the garage was great enough to cause much smaller amounts of damage to the outside of the residence.
“We got a couple of hot spots in the walls we had to douse as well as some embers in the attic,’’ said Snyder.
