SUE SCHEIBLE
The Patriot Ledger via Lexis Nexis

WEYMOUTH, Mass.--Seven people alerted by smoke detectors escaped early Sunday as a fast-moving fire destroyed a garage and spread to the attached house at 81 Candia St. in East Weymouth.

There were no injuries, fire officials said.

Two cars and a pickup truck parked in the driveway were destroyed.

Three adults and four children were sleeping when the fire broke out and were alerted by smoke detectors. Firefighters rescued one of two cats in the house after the flames were extinguished. The whereabouts of the second cat was not known.

The garage was used for storage. The fire spread to the house and caused extensive smoke, fire and water damage to the attic and an upstairs bedroom.

Deputy Fire Chief Richard Chase said personnel from the state fire marshal's office were at the scene later Sunday but fire's cause had yet to be determined. He said the fire was not of suspicious origin.

"There was a lot of stuff in the garage, some of it paints, stains, etc.," Chase said.

He said the first call reporting the fire came in at 2:25 a.m., from a neighbor across the street who heard sounds coming from the garage as flames spread.

Firefighters arrived at 2:32 and struck the second alarm.

The burned-out garage was unstable, and the town highway department sent a backhoe to knock down the remaining structure. The backhoe also was used to move materials in the garage to try to get to the bottom of the piles and determine the cause of the blaze.

Damage was estimated at $150,000 to $200,000.

Copyright 2010 The Patriot Ledger
November 22, 2010