A man was transported by Rock Township Ambulance to an area hospital for evaluation after a fire damaged the garage at his home in the 200 block of Cottonwood Drive west of Arnold, the Rock Community Fire Protection District reported.
At 4:03 p.m. April 12, Rock Fire got a call about the fire, which initially was referred to as a brush fire. However, as the first firetruck was responding, the call was upgraded to a first-alarm fire because a caller said the garage was on fire and a man was reportedly trapped inside, the report said.
The first truck arrived at 4:06 p.m., and firefighters reported heavy fire in the garage. They also reported that no one was inside the garage when they arrived, according to the report.
Firefighters cut holes in the garage roof to keep the blaze from spreading into the attached home. The fire was under control at 4:53 p.m., and the scene was cleared at 7:10 p.m., Rock Fire reported.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but it was not considered suspicious, spokeswoman Alyson Barton said Tuesday, April 18.
She said the man who was transported to the hospital and another person live at the home together, and because the fire was contained to the garage, the two may continue living in the home.
The Saline Valley, Antonia and Mehlville fire protection districts also responded to the call.