Garage fire on Oct. 18

Firefighters from the City of Toccoa and Carnes Creek Volunteer Fire Department faced a heavily involved garage fire at 2:40 a.m.  Friday morning, Oct. 18 on Collins Road. The building was destroyed, but no one was injured,  Toccoa assistant fire chief Frankie Dietz said. The fire was contained to the garage and there was only minor exposure damage to an adjacent building. “As the temperatures are finally cooling down, it is a good time to have your heating systems checked and cleaned for the coming winter months,” Deitz said.  “This is very important since heating is the number two cause of residential structure fires.  Cooking remains as the number one cause.”  According to Deitz, a working smoke detector is essential to provide occupants time to escape a fire in their home.  “Most of the structure fires that we respond to in Toccoa do not have a working smoke detector installed.  A good way to remember to replace the batteries in your smoke alarm, is to change them when you reset your clocks for daylight savings time,” Deitz said.  Residents who cannot afford a smoke detector may contact the Toccoa Fire Department at 706-886-8656. Photo by Blake Simpson.