UPDATE: Hot ashes likely cause of Kaleden garage fire

KALEDEN – A spectacular garage fire in Kaleden this morning may have been sparked by hot ashes.

Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department chief Darlene Bailey says it appears the blaze, which completely destroyed a large garage, began when hot ashes from a fireplace were left unattended in a container inside.

Several explosions could be heard when the garage at a home in the 200 block of Lakehill Road in Kaleden burst into flames at about 8:50 a.m., Feb. 24. The garage was engulfed in flames when Kaleden volunteer fire crews arrived on the scene.

Firefighters were able to save the nearby house but the garage and its contents are a total loss.

The homeowner, who did not wish to give her name, said a car and a motorcycle were lost to the flames. The garage also contained a workshop and greenhouse.

Bailey cautioned residents using wood heat in their homes to be careful when discarding ashes.

"Never leave them in a building and always use a metal container to collect them," she says, adding storage of collected ashes should be kept as far away from buildings as possible.

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— This story was updated at 10 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 to provide further details about the fire.

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