Prince William fire and rescue units responded to a call about a fire on Willow Oak Place in Montclair on Sunday morning.
When units arrived on the scene, they found an attached garage structure emitting fire from the front side.
The fire and rescue units were able to extinguish the fire, and there was no extension of the fire to the residence, and there were no injuries reported.
According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, the initial assessment of the scene shows about $70,000 of damage on the property and garage structure. Additionally, the building was declared unsafe by a building inspector.
The cause of the fire was deemed accidental, and occurred due to residents in the home improperly discarding charcoal ashes in their garbage.
The Prince William fire and rescue department have issued a list of safety tips on how to discard of ashes:
Hot coals, hidden in a pile of ashes and thus well insulated, can stay hot for up to 4 days! Never empty ashes into a paper or plastic bag, cardboard box or other similar container.
To discard hot ashes: DO allow ashes to cool (4 days) before removing; moisten the ashes and then place them in a metal container, with a tight fitting lid, outside and well away from the house (at least 20 feet away from the home and combustibles). DO NOT store on your deck, in your garage or in any location that may allow heat to transfer the hot coals to nearby flammable items.
