Great Falls Fire Rescue was dispatched to a reported garage fire at 4:36 a.m. Aug. 5 at 1109 8th Ave. S.

Crews arrived on scene at 4:43 a.m. to find the detached garage fully engulfed in flames, with fire already extending to the primary residence and threatening the neighboring home at 1115 8th Ave. S.

Due to the heavy fire conditions and the significant risk of structural collapse, incident commanders immediately transitioned to defensive firefighting operations and requested a
second alarm, bringing additional personnel and equipment to the scene.

The second alarm calls back two full off-duty engine companies and a battalion chief.

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Defensive operations are used when conditions are too dangerous for firefighters to safely enter a structure, requiring crews to attack the fire from the exterior, according to GFFR.

Firefighters worked to protect the neighboring home and prevented the fire from spreading into the residence. It sustained damage to its exterior siding and gutters, but no significant structural damage was observed.

The fire at 1109 intensified rapidly and the detached garage collapsed early in the incident, followed shortly by the collapse of the home’s roof, making suppression efforts even more challenging, according to GFFR.

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During the incident, firefighters learned the homeowner had reportedly passed recently and that the residence was believed to be vacant, but that information couldn’t be confirmed initially, crews treated the incident as a potential rescue until conditions allowed for a thorough search.

After the home collapsed, GFFR requested help from the city public works department, which used heavy equipment to remove large sections of debris, allowing firefighters to access concealed hot spots and complete extinguishment operations much more efficiently.

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“Without this assistance, crews likely would have remained on scene for several additional hours, according to GFFR, which thanked public works crews for their “invaluable assistance during this incident, as well as the neighboring residents for their patience while crews worked to bring the fire under control.”

The structure and debris was searched once conditions allowed, and no victims or animals were found, according to GFFR.

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Firefighters remained on scene through the evening monitoring hot spots.

The garage and residence at 1109 8th Avenue South are considered a total loss.

GFFR is investigating the cause of the fire, but there’s no indication that it’s criminal in nature.

*GFFR photo