Fire officials say a blaze that destroyed one home, damaged another and displaced six people was started when a man used a torch to heat metal while fixing a car.
Firefighters arrived at 2415 S. 10th Ave. about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday to find the garage fully ablaze, said Capt. Jeff Pfaff of the Yakima Fire Department. A vehicle inside the garage was destroyed.
The man was using a torch to heat metal while repairing the car, which caused the car to catch fire, Pfaff said. The fire spread to the garage and the adjoining 1970s single-wide mobile home.
The fire scorched the side of a home to the south, but firefighters were able to stop that part of the blaze from spreading. Firefighters had the initial fire out within 45 minutes, and spent two hours mopping up hot spots. Nobody was injured, but the six people who lived in the two homes were given shelter assistance by the American Red Cross Wednesday night, Pfaff said. Damage was estimated at $100,000.