ST. GEORGE — A fire started by a battery charger damaged a garage Monday afternoon in St. George but did not spread to the interior of the home.

St. George fire Chief Robert Stoker said that the fire was reported about 2 p.m. in the 1900 block of South 2620 East Circle. When they arrived, the occupants of the home were trying to put the fire out using a garden hose.

“They did have the majority of it knocked down,” Stoker said.

Firefighters took over and stopped the spread of the fire before it could damage the living quarters of the house.

A charger in the garage that was charging a battery was the apparent cause of the fire, Stoker said.

Most contents of the garage incurred some form of fire, smoke and water damage, but the residents’ vehicles were all outside during the fire.

The residents were home, Stoker said, and were alerted to the fire by a neighbor who saw smoke coming from the garage.

The Fire Department does not recommend trying to put out a garage fire with a garden hose.

“We’ve had some people get injured doing that,” Stoker said. “You never know what’s in a garage. A garage is fairly dangerous –  gas cans, propane bottles, just the little camping propane bottles we’ve had explode in garages will take the doors off. There’s quite a bit of danger in a garage from the unknown stuff in there.”

Companies from St. George Fire Department Stations 21, 27 and 28 responded to the fire.  No estimate of damage was immediately available, and no injuries were reported.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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