Report and photos by Don Steen
The Grandview Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire at 818 10th Street Monday afternoon, May 16. Fire Chief Mike Cameron reported the call came in at around 2 p.m. Although fire fighters were on scene within a few minutes, the blaze was already well underway. The fire started in the attached garage, possibly resulting from a recently used lawnmower.
Homeowners Brett and Karen Banks were able to evacuate safely, but the home sustained major damage in the fire. The first indication of the spreading fire came shortly after Brett finished mowing the lawn and stored the mower in the garage, which he believes may have been the source of the blaze. When he came back shortly thereafter, the space was already filled with fire and smoke.
“I opened that garage door and it blew me backwards,” said Brett. “ We had about two minutes to get out.”
Emergency vehicles were at the scene for some time, requiring some school buses and commuters returning from work to divert course as the fire was brought under control and thoroughly contained. The last hose was turned off shortly after 4 p.m.
While the blaze consumed the entire garage, a vehicle parked inside as well as most of the house, Brett did credit Cameron with managing to recover both his billfold and truck keys from inside, both more or less intact.
