GREENFIELD — A two-car garage at 15 Sauter Lane was destroyed Friday evening in a blaze that required three fire departments to put down.
Homeowner Sharon Carow, 54, said she was in the house when she heard a loud explosion shortly before 7 p.m. She rushed outside and saw nothing amiss, but a neighbor walking her dogs yelled to her that her house was on fire.
“The whole neighborhood heard the explosion,” Carow said. “It kept exploding after that.”
Another neighbor, Brian Brooks, 36, of 32 Sauter Lane, noticed the blaze and used a garden hose to fight the flames until help arrived, even while the explosions continued.
There were no injuries as Carow got out of the house in time. Her daughter, Rachel Carow, 20, also lives in the house but was riding her bike at the time of the fire.
Carow believes the fire started at the left side of the garage, but said she is “at a loss” for what might have caused it. She said there were gas and oil cans in the garage that would have contributed to the blaze.
Carow said firefighters were on the scene within five minutes. Within 15 minutes, the flames had been put out, leaving smoke and blackened beams behind. The fire began to creep into the house as well, blackening the rafters.
A maroon Honda CRV was parked in front of the garage. The front grill of the vehicle melted away from the heat.
Greenfield Fire Captain John Whitney said he does not know yet what caused the fire or how much it will cost to repair the damage. Whitney said firefighters from Greenfield, Turners Falls and Bernardston came to fight the blaze. Brattleboro, Vt., was called in to cover for Greenfield.