Smoking materials spark West Dundee garage fire

Smoking materials sparked a West Dundee garage fire Thursday that destroyed a car and caused about $50,000 in damage, fire officials said.

Crews responded about 11:45 a.m. to a home on the 900 block of McConnoche Court to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the two-car garage, according to the West Dundee Fire Department. A neighbor noticed the smoke, called 911 and notified the residents, who were still inside the house and unaware of the fire.

A homeowner drove one vehicle out of the garage, but a second was destroyed, officials said. No injuries were reported.

An investigation determined a resident had been smoking in the garage an hour beforehand, Chief Randy Freise said. The garage door was left open when he was finished.

Officials believe the wind either blew the cigarette or scattered the ashes into nearby combustibles, Freise said.

"It was probably smoldering for a while," he said. "After an hour, it finally lit up."

The blaze was brought under control in about 15 minutes. Officials reported extensive damage to the garage and smoke damage in the rest of the house.