Garage fire ignited by discarded fireplace ash

Discarded fireplace ash caused a Barberton area fire that damaged a garage and a vehicle parked inside of it, according to a Clark County deputy fire marshal.

Firefighters were called to the split-level home at 4612 N.E. 114th St., shortly before noon Sept. 20 for a report of a house fire, and found the garage fully engulfed in flames.

Clark County Fire District 6 said the homeowners had left the building by the time they arrived.

The fire was fairly small, and firefighters quickly got it under control, according to Fire District 6, but it damaged the garage and a car.

Deputy Fire Marshal Caleb Barnes estimated the fire destroyed between $20,000 to $30,000 worth of property.

Fireplace ash had been discarded in a trash can in the garage, Barnes said. It was double-bagged separately before being tossed in, he said.