Fire rips through garage of Carson City home; no injuries

A Carson City family was awakened by neighbors Saturday morning after a fire started in their garage.

No one was injured but firefighters said the family cat died in the blaze.

"It was a really bad way to wake up," said homeowner Mauricio Perez.

"It was fast, very fast," said Susan Dyke, who lives across the street. "There was smoke, lots of smoke then flames on the garage door."

Battalion Chief Rich Chrzanowski said fire crews knocked the blaze down quickly after the 8:31 a.m. alarm.

"The bulk of the damage seems to be in the garage," he said.

The garage and its contents were blackened and the garage door destroyed by the blaze. The wall connecting the garage to the house also was seriously damaged but fire crews prevented the fire from actually getting into the residence.

Chrzanowski said while the home itself appears to have escaped major structural damage, he would still put the cost of repairs to the structure at $50,000. Damage to the contents, he said, could add another $60,000 since, "heat and smoke will cause a lot of damage to possessions."

Perez said the fire must have started from an electrical short circuit since he knows of nothing else in the garage that could cause a fire.

"It's going to be a major disruption in their life," said Fire Chief Stacey Giomi. "But hopefully, we saved their cherished belongings,"