A vehicle backfire resulted in the loss of a garage Monday night on Spring Valley Road.

A garage owned by Wayne and Connie Sinks was completely engulfed in flames and is a total loss. Mr. Sinks was taken to the hospital by family members as a precautionary measure, but is expected to be OK.

“He was able to move some things out of the garage and in doing so he had a little smoke inhalation,” said Centertown Fire Department Chief Phillip Prater. “We encouraged him to go get checked out to make sure everything was alright and his family drove him there.”

The fire erupted around 6:30 p.m. Monday night. Mr. Sinks was reportedly working on a vehicle parked inside the detached garage, which is located well behind their home. Their house was never in danger.

The vehicle backfired during the mechanical work which caused the vehicle, and then the garage, to catch fire. Mr. Sinks was successful in getting a classic car and camper away from the garage to prevent further property loss.

Centertown volunteer firefighters were quick on the scene and had the large flames batted down in a matter of minutes. North Warren also responded with mutual aid. Centertown was able to have such a fast response time thanks to having its Station 2 located near the airport.

In addition to the garage itself, property lost included a vehicle, lawnmower and tools.