Police investigate local garage fire

A fire on Indiana Avenue Friday night, about 50 feet from the site of a fatal blaze in late May, caused damage to a garage and nearby utility pole. No one was injured. The incident is being investigated by the Bloomington Police Department. \nThe BPD has not released information about the incident. A report by the Bloomington Fire Department Shift Inspector Brent Stanton said a gas can was found a block away from the scene and has been turned over to the BPD for fingerprint analysis. The report added that the fire had burned furniture and clothing that had been piled next the garage.\nNeighbors tried to put out the fire using extinguishers prior to the arrival of fire department officials who were dispatched at 10:53 p.m. \nStanton said in the conclusion of his report, "The fire was of a suspicious nature but there were no witnesses around that had seen anything."\nA May 22 house fire at 719 N. Indiana Ave., about 50-feet away from the scene of the recent garage fire, resulted in the deaths of juniors Jacob Surface and Joseph Alexander, both 21, and sophomore Nicolas Habicht, 20. The investigation into the May 22 fire is still ongoing and is being conducted by independent investigators. Initial evidence suggests the house fire was the result of an electrical malfunction in an appliance at the house. \nBFD Fire Chief Jeff Barlow said three precautions can improve safety in the event of a fire. The most important fire safety feature at a residence or office is maintaining and testing fire detectors, Barlow said. \n"The slogan on some of our vehicles is 'Smoke detectors save lives,'" he said.\nBarlow also recommended thinking through two possible escape routes out of every room in a house or office. He also recommended that in the event of a fire all individuals should immediately exit the building and call 911 from outside the house.\nBarlow said each residence should install at least one smoke detector per floor and optimally one per sleeping area. Barlow advocates the use of carbon monoxide detectors as well and said smoke detectors and plug-in carbon monoxide detectors can be purchased at hardware stores and most super stores and come with installation instructions.\nSenior Brandon Solomon, who lives at 718 N. Indiana Ave, said there are five fire alarms in his house that have all been tested this year. \n"I need to get a carbon monoxide tester," he added.\n-- Contact Nation and World Editor Rami Chami at rchami@indiana.edu .