Wood burning stove causes 2-story garage to burn in Sammamish

A wood burning stove is to believe the cause of a fire that consumed a two-story garage in Sammamish Friday.

A wood burning stove is to believe the cause of a fire that consumed a two-story garage in Sammamish Friday.

The homeowner told firefighters he turned the stove down to go run some errands, and when he returned the garage was fully engulfed in flames, according to an Eastside Fire and Rescue press release.

Firefighters arrived at about 6 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the 2,000-square-foot garage on the 200 block of 218th Place Southeast. The fire created a thermal column that could be seen from several neighborhoods away.

Crews were able to save the home, which only stood about 50 feet away.The King County Fire Marshall’s office continues to investigate. It caused about $180,000 in damages.

No one was injured.

About a third of all house fires are started by fuel-fired appliances, often because creosote builds up in the chimneys, according to the release.