Missoula Rural Firefighters responded to a garage fire in the Butler Creek area early Tuesday morning.

Fire Chief Chris Newman said the structure was located at 9000 Butler Creek Road.

“The 9-1-1 call came in at about 5:20 a.m. and our crews arrived on scene to find a fully engulfed detached garage that was actually only about 20 feet from the actual house,” said Newman. “We made a quick aggressive attack on the garage and also to the exterior of the house that was also the exposure to the garage. We did a quick knock down on the exterior siding of the house, because it was starting to climb up into the eaves. I think a couple more minutes and the outcome potentially could have been a lot worse.”

Newman said the department dispatched two structure engines and a ladder truck and a command vehicle along with three water tenders from Missoula Rural Fire District.

“We received mutual aid assistance from Frenchtown Fire and the East Missoula Fire Department,” he said. “The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the garage itself was a total loss. “The noise from the fire woke a female resident of the home and she called 9-1-1 and they were able to self evacuate prior to fire department arrival.”

MRFD was also assisted by Missoula County Sheriff’s Deputies, Missoula Emergency Services and Northwest Energy.

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