PHILLIPS — A Vienna woman got second-degree burns on her feet Tuesday when the East Madrid Road garage she was cleaning caught fire.
The garage, owned by her parents, was destroyed along with all of its contents, including a fifth-wheel trailer, according to Phillips Fire Chief Mark Rousseau.
Vonda Cears suffered second-degree burns on her feet when she tried to salvage items from the garage as it burned, Rousseau said. She was treated for her burns by NorthStar ambulance personnel but declined to be taken to the hospital for further care.
The fire is believed to have started outside the garage and had engulfed the structure within the seven minutes it took for firefighters to arrive at the scene after it was reported at 11:07 a.m.. Rousseau attributed the fast spread of the fire to dry and windy conditions.
Cears told firefighters she threw a cigarette she had finished smoking outside the back door of the garage and then noticed the building was on fire. However, Rousseau said the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
The garage was not insured, though the trailer was. The three-bay garage was the only building on the property.
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