Vehicle catches fire in garage of DeKalb home

DeKALB – DeKalb firefighters responded to a call of a car on fire at South Fifth and Franklin streets midday Monday.

An emergency citywide alert went out about 12:23 p.m. asking members of the public to avoid the area for two hours while crews worked to put out a structure fire.

The scene was clear of fire officials as of 1:05 p.m. Around that time, Pam Kuhn was cleaning the inside of her garage.

A Mazda5 was seen at the scene with its hood popped up, allowing passersby to see the burnt remnants of a fire.

Kuhn, who owns the vehicle, said it was parked in the garage Monday afternoon as she was making her way home during a lunch break.

“My car caught fire in the garage,” Kuhn said.

Officials had not released any information as of Monday afternoon regarding the cause of the fire.

Kuhn speculated that it may have something to do with the car’s age.

“The car is 13 years old and has a lot of miles,” Kuhn said.

Kuhn said some stuff on the shelves in the garage also was damaged in the fire.

Kuhn heaped praise on the DeKalb Fire Department for its speedy and efficient response.

“The firemen got here really quick,” Kuhn said.

Officials from the DeKalb Fire Department had not responded to requests for comment as of 4:30 p.m. Monday.