News: Vintage Corvette damaged in garage fire

[Rob]

Vintage Corvette damaged in garage fire

March 25, 2008
BY RYAN PAGELOW rpagelow@scn1.com
Sun Times News Group

Chicago - Matt Jones, 32, was planning to give a 1979 Corvette he was renovating to his father-in-law for his birthday on Tuesday before a fire broke out in Jones' detached garage in Third Lake, damaging the car and his garage.

"It was already done. I was just putting on the finishing touches," said Jones who owns a small engine repair business.

He had just sent his father-in-law pictures of the estimated $20,000 car that he had been working on for the last month.

Jones had only been away from the house for a few minutes when a neighbor called him at around 2:45 p.m. on his cell phone to tell him his two-level garage was on fire.

"I tried not to smash the car in front of me," he said. "I had just gone out for an errand."

No one was injured in the fire on the 18700 block of West Cottage Avenue, and the cause and total cost of the damages was still unknown Tuesday afternoon, said Battalion Chief Tim Tanner of the Gurnee Fire Department.

Because the neighborhood does not have hydrants, the fire departments needed to supply their own tankers for the fire hoses, Tanner said.

Jones' neighbor Debbie Allard was in her shed behind her house with her dog when she heard an explosion coming from next door.

"I heard a kaboom and the garage was blown out," said Allard, who called 911.

The force of the blast blew the garage door about 10 feet, and flames were coming out of the garage, she said.

"The flames were everywhere in two minutes," she said. "It was really flaming. Smoke was out to Route 45."

Firemen battled the blaze for about 20 minutes.

Also assisting were the fire departments from Grayslake, Round Lake and Newport Township. Libertyville and Zion fire departments provided mutual aid.

Jones' Norwegian wife and two kids had just moved to Norway two weeks ago and Jones was planning to join them next week.

His Corvette, still on the jack, was dripping wet in the blackened garage. Jones also had a $12,000 Harley Davidson that he purchased four months ago and tools in his garage.

"It was always our worst fear," Jones said.