Two separate fires caused substantial damage to a business and destroyed a detached garage in Woodstock over the weekend.
Firefighters were called Saturday night after a detached garage in a residential area went up in flames. Fire crews were able to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby structures, quickly bringing it under control. Damage is estimated at $40,000.
Investigators determined the fire was sparked by an improperly discarded cigarette that was tossed in some mulch. They are now reminding the public to never flick a cigarette into mulch or shrubbery. Instead the item should be disposed of in an ashtray or bucket with water or sand.
Hours after the garage fire, crews were called to a second blaze, this one at the Len's Mill Store at 80 Norwich Ave.
Photo courtesy of the Woodstock Fire Department.
The alarm inside the business was activated around 1:50 a.m. on Sunday.
Once on scene, firefighters determined the fire was spreading within the store and on the inside of an exterior wall. The blaze could have been much worse if not for the store's sprinkler system, the Woodstock Fire Department said.
It took 20 firefighters to extinguish the "stubborn" blaze.
While the building was not a total loss, it did suffer $200,000 damage.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
