No Injuries Reported in New Bedford Garage Fire

NEW BEDFORD — A fire that consumed a garage in New Bedford on Tuesday afternoon did not result in any injuries, according to District Fire Chief James Fortin.

Firefighters were called out to reports of smoke between Coggeshall and Adams streets at 2:41 p.m. Tuesday, arriving to find a garage at 44 Adams St. near Hillside Court engulfed in flames.

"When we pulled out of the station, we definitely had a lot of smoke in the area. We could see it from a distance," Fortin said.

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Fire crews controlled the blaze to keep it from spreading to a nearby house on Reynolds Street.

"The smoke was getting pushed that way by the wind — we were getting some pretty good gusts at the time," Fortin said. "There was a lot of flame coming out of the side windows."

Fortin said the property owner was evaluated by emergency medical services for smoke inhalation after opening up the garage, but he did not need to be taken to the hospital.

He estimated that firefighters got the flames under control and put out the bulk of the blaze within around 15 minutes.

The situation was made more complicated by propane tanks just outside the building — which luckily did not catch — and the amount of smoke, as well as "a lot of debris" in general, according to Fortin.

Fortin said the second floor of the garage burnt through completely, dropping debris onto the ground floor.

By 3:30 p.m., firefighters were just chasing hotspots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.