Fire crews responded Thursday night to a structure fire involving a row of garages at an apartment complex in New Brighton.
Firefighters found heavy smoke throughout the building and visible flames concentrated on the north end. The structure, consisting of 12 double garages and totaling about 4,800 square feet, showed significant fire involvement when crews arrived.
Authorities said two vehicles were directly damaged by radiant heat from the fire. An additional eight vehicles were exposed to smoke, but none were actively burning inside the garages. Fire officials did not estimate the total amount of damage caused by the fire.
Significant fire damage was limited to two garage units, though heat, smoke, and fire spread through void spaces caused additional damage throughout the building. Investigators determined the fire started inside one of the locked garage units, which was not being used to store a vehicle.
The cause remains undetermined after investigators identified multiple potential ignition sources inside the unit. However, officials said the fire does not appear suspicious based on the information available.
No injuries were reported.
