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A garage at a Senita home caught fire this morning on Magnolia Road.[quote_box_right]The “Vasquez Family Donation Fund” has been set up at Wells Fargo for the family, which lost everything due to fire and smoke damage. The children also need clothes and shoes.[/quote_box_right]

Brian Vasquez, his wife and three children left the house safely. They noticed the fire after hearing a “pop” in the garage some time after 9 a.m. They had reportedly just turned on the heater.

The father opened the door to the garage and saw fire, then quickly closed the door. The smoke that entered the home at that time set off the smoke alarms.

Maricopa Fire/Medical Department responded to the scene at 9:30 a.m.

“The fire extended to the garage and the attic,” MFMD spokesman Brad Pitassi said. “There was extensive smoke damage, all the way through from floor to ceiling.”

The Vasquez family, which includes children age 1, 2, and 4,  has lived in the home for three years. It was built in 2007. They have family nearby if the home turns out to be immediately uninhabitable. American Red Cross was also on scene to help situate the family.

Pitassi said two investigators were looking into the cause of the fire, which also destroyed a vehicle in the garage. He said the fact the house had solar panels gave fire crews a different challenge in the basic tactic of cutting a hole in the roof, but they were able to contain the fire.

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