Fire Department

Multiple passersby dialed 911 Sunday evening to report a garage on fire on Ascot Lane.

Engine Company 9, Ladder Company 2, and other west side crews arrived at 8:25 p.m. to find smoke and flames showing from a detached garage visible from Mineral Point Road.

One occupant was backing his car out of the driveway as firefighters prepared their water supply and examined the full perimeter of the garage. Fire was isolated to one side of the garage, and Engine Company 9 attacked it with their bumper line. Firefighters achieved initial knockdown within four minutes.

During an interior search of the garage, firefighters located a City of Madison garbage bin near a parked vehicle. While inside, they confirmed the fire was completely extinguished and began overhaul.

Crews learned during their investigation that an occupant had used his charcoal grill for a barbecue earlier that day. The coals were placed in the trash about an hour prior to the fire.

The occupant reported the coals felt cool at the time they were disposed; however, it takes up to 72 hours for charcoal to fully cool down. Until that time, coals should be stored in a non-combustible container like a metal bucket or the grill itself just in case a fire re-ignites.

The fire caused damage to the garage and its contents, including the front end of the vehicle parked inside. The fire did not spread to the adjacent neighboring units in the four-unit complex. There were no injuries, and nobody was displaced.