HORACE, N.D. - Investigators were unable to pinpoint the cause of a fire that destroyed a row of garages and damaged a nearby apartment building here Tuesday, Horace Fire Chief Ryan Hegel said.
Hegel said the fire appears to have started in the middle of the row of 12 garage units, but damage was too extensive to determine the cause. The fire was fueled by propane tanks in some of the garages, and the tar-and-rock roof collapsed, he said.
"Everything was too far gone," he said.
Firefighters arrived at 201 Southwood Drive shortly after the fire was reported at about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday. The garage fire hadn't yet spread to the apartment building about 20 feet away, but tenants had already begun to evacuate, Hegel said.
The fire alarms inside the apartment building didn't go off until flames spread to the deck and siding and smoke started to infiltrate the building, Hegel said. Firefighters went into the building to make sure it was evacuated, he said.
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No one was injured in the fire.
