MILTON — A routine attempt to start a vehicle for work Sunday morning turned into a major emergency when a fire broke in an attached garage in the town of Milton.
According to a news release, Lakeside Fire-Rescue and Rock County Sheriff’s Office units were sent out about 11 a.m. Oct. 19 for a report of a vehicle on fire on Ladue Drive.
The caller told dispatchers the vehicle was in an attached garage, which caused the 911 Center to upgrade the dispatch to a structure fire response.
Lakeside Fire-Rescue units from Stations 3 (Milton) and 2 (Edgerton) were dispatched.
As soon as the responding units were informed that there was a fire inside the structure, the incident was further upgraded to a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) working still, which added additional fire and support units from Janesville, Fort Atkinson and Whitewater.
Lake Mills Fire Department was also requested to provide an engine to stand by in case of another incident in the Lakeside region.
Fire units arrived in 8 minutes and 15 seconds, according to the news release.
When they arrived, firefighters confirmed heavy smoke and fire in a five-car garage attached to a two-story residence.
Engine crew members confirmed everyone was out of the structure.
They were successful in bringing the fire under control in approximately 10 minutes.
The area is in a rural part of Lakeside’s territory, so the water used to fight the fire was supported by water tankers set up to supply additional water to the engine.
Once the fire in the garage was under control, crews then checked the wall between the garage and the residential part of the structure to confirm there was no fire extension.
Fire damage was contained to the garage area, with minor smoke damage to the residential portion of the structure.
Lakeside Fire investigators confirmed the fire started in a vehicle parked in the garage when a resident attempted to start the vehicle to leave for work.
Fire from the vehicle quickly grew and extended to the garage contents and structure.
The resident was able to safely get out of the garage without injury. The structure had working smoke detectors, but was not equipped with automatic fire sprinklers.