Garage Fire Blamed on Teen Playing with Fire

A teenage boy is suspected of starting a fire that wiped out a detached garage and its contents in Stewartville on New Year’s Day.

A spokesman for the Stewartville Fire Department says the fire started while the 14-year-old was apparently playing with some gasoline and a lighter inside the garage in the 200 block of 3rd street southwest. No one was injured, but the loss from the fire has been estimated at over $75,000.

In addition to destroying the garage, the flames also caused some minor damage to a couple neighboring homes.