Garage fire

[NUTTSGT]

Nothing, that's all junk from the garage that got pulled apart/collapsed during the fire. You can see the remains of a file cabinet in the corner, i think an ember from the first fire smoldered down there for awhile, but that's just a best guess. Brush pile was temporary during some yard work, already on the way to move.



They did, even had a cool thermal imaging camera i took a peek at. **** happens and people make mistakes, but it took several hours to light up enough to do more damage.

What I maybe seeing is what has burned for the eave material that had fallen after it burned. It sounds like the insurance company is going to do you right. Bigger and better garage.


While FDs do have some good equipment, rekindles do happen. An ember can go a few days before growing enough to get another blaze going. Sometimes all it takes it a little bit of wind to bring it back to life.

About 6 years ago, we had a roof fire on the high school during a remodel on a Sunday afternoon. The last time the crews were working was Thursday using a torch to remove rubber roofing, 72+ hours later.

 

[captmoto]

It looks like the fire started on the outside and went up into the rafters. It looks like char at the bottom that didn't burn all the way through yet burned the corner joists out with almost full burn through of the rafters. When was the last time you were in the garage? Was there clippings and such against that corner? I would have made a little more effort to clear space around the burn area during overhaul.
Where I worked, having a rekindle was a cardinal sin. We had some epic ones that led to full, clearly defined policies on after fire procedures.

 

[hedhunter9]

I had a garage fire in 1980 that started with a battery charger on a street bike that caught the bike on fire. We were out front of the house when we saw smoke billowing out of the back work shop area.

I called 911 and reported it, just as the phone died from melted wires.
I ran into the front part of the garage and got out 1 street bike and started back in, when something blew up and blew me back 10 feet.. Singed eyebrows, eyelashes and bangs..

My motorhome and enclosed bike trailer was in front of the garage about 6 feet away. It melted the aluminum off the back door and caught the trailer on fire. I knew a 5 gal can of gas was inside the trailer, I pulled it out into the street and I used up the Motorhome fire ext., a fire ext from the house and one from my truck to finally get the trailer out.
The FD is only 3 blocks from our house and it only took them about 5-6 minutes to get there. But they ran a hose up to the garage, charged it, then left it lay on the ground... So I picked it up and started fighting the fire myself for several minutes. Then a Fireman took back over.
There were bikes inside that looked like giant roaring candles, with pressurized gas coming out of the tanks shooting flames like a flame thrower 6 feet in the air. 8 Bikes.. Small explosions kept going off from paint cans, lubes and cleaners.

I had a set of torchs/tanks in there and told the FD about them, and he said they wouldnt blow up, but would release the oxy/Fuel and add to the fire.
It was a VErY HOT fire. It melted the siding off the neighbors house, Took paint off our house 20 some feet away, Melted the plexi-glass storm windows right out of the frames of the house..
Flames came out the front of the 16 foot overhead door that was open and the side windows..

The whole garage was sheetrocked, walls and ceilings.. Everything inside it was destroyed.... The garage itself, I saved all but the front 3 foot. We chainsawd off the whole front 3 foot. Built a new front and new 16 foot over head door (1 foot taller), new windows, Siding over the windows and re-sheet rocked the whole garage again.

Insurance only paid 10% of what my house was worth for the Garage. I had a oversized 2.5 built onto the original 1.5 car garage. so was wayyy underinsured for the garage.
Contents, they pay 50% of what your house is insured for, But believe me, they wouldnt cover half the stuff in there.. I fought the adjuster for weeks as they wanted me to settle for peanuts. After threatening to get a lawyer, they finally agreed to pay me the amount I was supposed to get.

Sheet rock or metal or anything fireproof is definately worth having in a workshop/polebarn/garage if you want to save it.. The contents..?
Thats a whole nuther story..

Bob

 

[dfreeman616]

That horizontal board with the burnt end was inside the garage, there was nothing at the corner on the outside. The rekindle was spotted by my boys a little after 7am. Maybe an hour earlier I had been in there to grab a flashlight I had set down the night before. No visible flames at that time. I noticed a smoky smell, but it didn't alarm me and I just credited it to the fire from the night before.

Adjuster told me they'll cover up to $16450 on the structure and the contents have a bit over 100k max contents, depending on what is on the itemized contents list.

 

[brycez28]

At least no one was hurt. My grandpa had a couple nasty fires. He had a 20'x40' garage he totally lost. He was welding and he figures the sparks must have caught the dust and cobwebs in his rafters on fire and he didn't realize it until it was too late. He also had fire in his barn, again a total loss. He had a 1939 CrisCraft in there that he tried to get out, but it was too hot for him to get the trailer connected to the truck and he ended up with 3rd degree burns.

 

[Diesel Dan]

Wow, that is too bad.
This is the exact reason I'm spending the extra money to put steel on the interior walls and ceiling. So many people question why.

 

[crazy_mooh]

Sorry about your loss and glad you made it OK.

 

[TOOL_MONGER]

Sorry about your loss... I've been there done that.. Fd pretty much saved my structure but most everything in side was toast... Ins. drags their feet until they understand you are not settling for there first offer... I had about $18,000 in damaged to the structure and over $20,000 in lost contents... worst thing was nothing car related was covered... had two engines on stands that im hoping I can salvage... car parts, carbs, cams... just thankful the cars were not inside.

 

[dfreeman616]

Just heard from the adjuster. Starting with a $500 check for contents (not bad since I haven't gotten him a list yet, they'll issue another check for the difference once I do) and an $11000 toward structure, again with another check for the balance after completion. He's figuring complete rebuild on it.

 

[rubberrodder]

Bummer about the fire. But this is starting to sound like a good start on a build thread to me. $11000 buys a bunch of lumber!

 

[dfreeman616]

Yes it does. I've been toying with some remodeling/expansion ideas for awhile, although city codes may not let me do any of that. At the minimum, I'll upgrade to 220 from the horribly lacking 110 it had.

 

[bczygan]

Many years ago I had a nice garage/cabin overlooking a lake. Insulated and full of my belongings.

Left a oil fired heater on to go to the store.

Burned to the ground.

No insurance.

Still hurts.

 

[Kevin54]

Just heard from the adjuster. Starting with a $500 check for contents (not bad since I haven't gotten him a list yet, they'll issue another check for the difference once I do) and an $11000 toward structure, again with another check for the balance after completion. He's figuring complete rebuild on it.

Oh no doubt. You wouldn't want to **** around trying to repair what's left. It would probably cost more to patch here and there, than to start from a clean slate. And if you play your cards right, you can come back bigger and better. You already have your foundation and slab, so you can reuse it, or you can add on to it for a larger garage if permitted. Make sure you plan things out good, call in some favors from friends, and make that $11g's+ stretch out. Go taller so you can consider a lift into the works.

And again, just to say....Glad no one was injured, and glad it wasn't a house instead.

 

[cousin eddie]

sorry about your fire, glad nobody got hurt. sounds like youre on your way to making the best from it. this thread got me to thinking, ive seen many workshops so messy and crammed full of stuff that a person could never get out in time if a fire started. let this be a lesson to us all- make sure you can get out if you need too. this is the kind of thing that always happens to someone else, it couldnt happen to us, so we think. but it can, and did, happen to me also before. i geuss what im saying is never say never, and always be prepared. and thank GOD for firemen!


by the way, im not insinuating the op had a messy, dangerous shop. just that we should always be prepared.

 

[dfreeman616]

Good point, and it was messier and more dangerous than I would like. I'll be the first to admit it. I suspect I'm not the only person on here who knows that about our spaces and keep putting off doing anything about it. Fire safety should be a huge priority for every project and garage


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[dfreeman616]

Well it has been 2 months since I updated. I spent a lot of time cleaning debris and making a list of the contents, and I think I came out alright on the contents. Replacement value came in at about $36k on the contents, and with depreciation they started me out with a check for $18k, which I can get more for the items I actually replace. They even allowed me to claim a bunch of the car parts I had stored in there and motor I was going to install in the Jeep that was in there. Can't complain on that side of things all in all.

Anyone want to guess where I'm running into problems with? Might help to take a look at the overhead view.

Right on the property line, so the city wants me to move it 3 feet east (top is north). As you can see from where the truck is right in front of the garage door, there's not much room as it is to pull into the garage once I move the door further from the corner of the building for modern structure codes, much less if the whole thing is moved 3 feet over. Not to mention then I would have to cut down one of the 2 trees, which will take the already too wet back yard with poor runoff and eliminate a major water absorber.

 

[ZRX61]

Just move it back a few more feet as well as sideways.

 

[White 99]

What would it look like if you moved it south 10 or 15 feet then 3 feet east?

 

[dfreeman616]

Still have the problem of the tree. I'm not sure how clear they are to people who don't know where they are, but one is about 6' SE of the garage. I may have to do something like that and it has crossed my mind. The other challenge with moving it is getting more approved from the insurance, which I'm looking into if the will. I was also hoping to build a shed back there to clear out some junk from the garage like lawn equipment


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here's some perspective on the tree and the water drainage problem. The good thing about if insurance covers moving due to zoning regs is then I get new concrete poured that isn't cracked and some proper foundation, which allows me to do more regrading to help with drainage. It also makes it easier to get more ceiling height for a potential lift.

 

[dfreeman616]

That flooding was during a record flood in the area this past summer, it isn't usually quite that bad


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[Jimi]

Why is the city going to make you move it now? Isn't your garage already on the plat? If so, I don't see how they can justify it. Unless you tore it down completely already. I thought existing structures, even remodeled/refurbished ones, grandfather new zoning. I've seen instances where only one single wall remained and an entirely new building has gone up.

 

[bczygan]

What would it look like if you moved it south 10 or 15 feet then 3 feet east?

This!

I would move it as far back as zoning setbacks allow and make it as big as is permitted!!!

 

[dfreeman616]

The only way I might be able to rebuild in the same place is if they approve an appeal which doesn't sound likely from what I'm finding. None of the walls are sound enough to reuse. If I move it, it won't be much bigger because of other limitations including money.


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[38Chevy454]

Well, that ***** the city is making retroactive changes. I would think about moving the garage out the 3 ft, but also make it a lot deeper. Also wider if you can. Think of this as an opportunity to make it bigger and still keep the city happy. I understand the money is more, but you have one chance to get it rebuilt, so go big. Even if it means sacrificing some of the contents reimbursement money, use that to build bigger and then work on replacement for the contents after it is built.

Since the city is fighting the setback, you might get the ins co to give more money to cover the tree removal and regrading of property?

 

[dsprint2000]

Being an insurance guy - I have to say it - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF COVERAGE!!!!!! Your typical policy will automatically cover you for 10% of the value of your home for 'other structures' - that includes your detached garage, fences, sheds, pools, BBQ islands, etc.... Most contracts will cover them for 'replacement' versus 'actual cash value' - though some items may be figured at ACV (usually fences....). You can increase that 10% limit to a dollar amount that will cover you (for add'l premum - cheap insurance). The contents inside the garage should be covered by your home policy as well. The contents on your home policy are usually 50% of the home value. That limit can also be increased if needed. You'd be surprised by how much you actually have. As dfreeman found out - most contracts have coverage for disassembled auto parts. In case of a claim - you typically get paid the ACV of the contents lost and then refunded the difference between ACV and the actual replacement when you purchase the new item.

In regards to code changes - touchy subject. Most contracts have either an exclusion or limitation in regards to foundations. Your policy will most likely also have a limit for building ordinance coverage. Usually it's 10% of the home value - but can be increased. If you have an older home - I would buy the max coverage available.

David

 

[SandraElam]

i agree with ben98gs . detached garage

 

[dfreeman616]

We'll a couple updates. Insurance does cover moving the garage as needed, and I've attached the survey I got back today.


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[THEIKM]

Being an insurance guy - I have to say it - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF COVERAGE!!!!!! Your typical policy will automatically cover you for 10% of the value of your home for 'other structures' - that includes your detached garage, fences, sheds, pools, BBQ islands, etc.... Most contracts will cover them for 'replacement' versus 'actual cash value' - though some items may be figured at ACV (usually fences....). You can increase that 10% limit to a dollar amount that will cover you (for add'l premum - cheap insurance). The contents inside the garage should be covered by your home policy as well. The contents on your home policy are usually 50% of the home value. That limit can also be increased if needed. You'd be surprised by how much you actually have. As dfreeman found out - most contracts have coverage for disassembled auto parts. In case of a claim - you typically get paid the ACV of the contents lost and then refunded the difference between ACV and the actual replacement when you purchase the new item.

In regards to code changes - touchy subject. Most contracts have either an exclusion or limitation in regards to foundations. Your policy will most likely also have a limit for building ordinance coverage. Usually it's 10% of the home value - but can be increased. If you have an older home - I would buy the max coverage available.

David

Yup. I am also an insurance guy... Not sales but in claims. This is accurate - atleast here in Alberta Canada....

 

[dfreeman616]

Some progress finally!
How it was this morning after stripping scrap material.



About 10am.

Tonight





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[FBJR]

Wow, sorry to see this. Main thing is no one was hurt. I had one a few years back but my garage is attached, but well insured.

I went a little bigger too.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463115&highlight=garage+fire

Thought there were more pics in that one, nope.

Here is the build;

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704660&highlight=garage

 

[dfreeman616]

The city inspector is suppose to come out this week for final determination on if it has to move or stay where it is. If it stays, pretty much going to be a straight rebuild, maybe bump to the full pad size (20x22 versus old 16x22). If they say move ( which I'm kinda hoping for), I might bump to 22 or 24 wide and a little deeper. Either way I'll be doing a shed for storage. Even if I just bump to 20x22, that's enough room for minivan and my Cherokee, although tight. Just might have to kick parked cars out to do work.