“You can hear them going off.” - Ammo adds to danger as garage catches fire

FARMINGTON - Some unexpected gunfire delayed Farmington firefighters as they worked to put out a garage fire Tuesday night in Empire Township.

Ammunition stored in the garage on Canberra Court started going off while firefighters worked, forcing them to back off.

“You can hear them going off,” fire chief Jim Larsen said. “It sounds like any other gun going off.”

Firefighters were called at 8:57 p.m. Larsen said there was a family gathering at the home. Someone heard popping noises from the garage, and when they checked they found fire.
There were no injuries.

Firefighters found the homeowner trying to fight the fire with a garden hose, but when the ammunition started going off, he backed away.

The fire did what Larsen called extensive damage to the garage and to a vehicle parked inside. There was smoke and heat damage inside the house. A cause had not been determined Wednesday.