Cause of garage fire that destroyed classic cars under investigation

OCEANSIDE (KUSI) — An investigation into the cause of a fire that destroyed a detached garage at an Oceanside home and badly damaged a Ford Model A and classic Thunderbird stored inside is expected to continue Thursday.

A resident at the home on the corner of South Clementine and Stanley streets smelled smoke coming from the three-car garage around 11 p.m. Wednesday. He went to check it out, saw "smoke pouring from the garage," then ran back inside to alert the other residents and call for help, Oceanside Fire Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence said.

It took 20 firefighters from Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista about 20 minutes to get the fire under control, according to Lawrence. They were able to keep the blaze from damaging the house.

An investigator was sent to determine the fire’s cause, but was unable to enter the burned garage because a tile deck built on the top of it was sagging and was at risk of collapsing. Lawrence said he was expected to return this morning after the deck is secured.

The damage to the garage and to the Model A and Thunderbird inside was estimated to be $100,000, Lawrence said.