Fireplace ashes blamed for St. Charles fire

Improper disposal of ashes from a fireplace sparked a fire Sunday that caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to a garage and its contents in St. Charles, authorities said.

St. Charles firefighters responded at 2:22 p.m. to reports of a fire in an attached garage in the 1800 block of Cambridge Drive. They arrived to find most of the fire had been put out by the homeowner, and firefighters extinguished the rest, fire officials said.

Three residents who were home at the time were checked at the scene by paramedics, but none required transport to a hospital and no firefighters were injured, officials said.

St. Charles firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Geneva and Batavia fire departments.