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UPDATE: Eastview fire the result of mechanical failure

Jul 17, 2018 | 5:32 PM

No one was injured when a garage at a home in Red Deer’s Eastview neighbourhood went up in flames Tuesday afternoon.

The cause, says Fire Prevention Officer Andrew Towers, was deemed accidental in nature and was most likely due to a mechanical failure in the car’s engine compartment. Towers says the car had recently been worked on.

“As far as any important takeaways fom this fire, it would be to stress the importance of working smoke alarms in homes to notify occupants of a fire, so they can get out in time,” he says.

Red Deer Emergency Services was called at about 3:15 p.m. after a car had caught fire in the attached garage of a home on 46 Street.

Acting Deputy Chief of Operations Damian Lagrange says crews were able to knock down the fire quickly and that no one was injured. Two renters were home at the time of the fire, which did not reach the living area but did encroach into the roof.

The tenants also confirmed to fire crews that they have a cat but couldn’t find it in the aftermath of the blaze. LaGrange said it was highly unlikely that it perished and that it was probably hiding somewhere.

A dollar estimate on the amount of damage done is not yet available. One neighbouring home sustained very minor damage.