Fire officials: Used lawn mower may have started Champion fire

Staff report

CHAMPION

No one was injured, but investigators believe a Sunday morning fire that destroyed two attached garages and most of the house near the Champion Plaza started because of a recently used lawn mower.

The man living at 4467 Fairgreen Ave. had just finished mowing his lawn, had put the mower in the garage and went across Cleveland Avenue, where his tractor-trailer was parked when he noticed fire coming from the garage.

He got his wife and their dog out of the house, and his son attempted to use a hose to extinguish the 11:43 a.m. blaze, but the garages were full of items that burned rapidly, said Capt. Dan Moffitt of the Champion Fire Department.

The fire destroyed both garages and multiple vehicles, then headed toward the house and destroyed most of it as well.

No dollar amount of damage was available Monday.

The family was aided by the American Red Cross, and about a half-dozen area fire departments assisted in fighting the blaze. Portions of the surrounding roads were closed during the firefighting operation.

The home and one beside it have been there a long time, Moffitt said. The plaza, which contains a Pizza Joe’s restaurant and several other businesses, have been built around it.

The smoke from the fire could be seen for miles away.

At one point, onlookers could hear explosions from one of the garages. Moffitt said those were apparently caused by propane gas canisters being stored inside.