Fire damages Modesto house, destroys garage

A fire destroyed a detached garage and damaged the rear of a house early Monday in downtown Modesto, according to officials.

Firefighters were dispatched at 12:15 a.m. to a structure fire on the 1500 block of G Street. There were no injuries. Firefighters searched the home based on reports that people may have been inside. But no one was in the single-family home.

Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Jesse Nicasio said the detached garage off the alley was destroyed, and the rear of the home was damaged. He estimated the damage to the structures and their contents at $250,000.

He said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Neighbors living on either side of the home said the woman living in the home moved out Saturday. They said she had two or three children. Neighbors also said a number of people had moved and out of the home while the woman lived there.

Nicassio said firefighters from Modesto and Ceres responded to the fire. The response included five engines, a ladder truck and two battalion chiefs.