Garage and vehicle go up in smoke

At about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 258663 U.S. Highway 101 a fuel leak quickly caught fire after Dillon Cummings turned on the engine of a Jeep he had been slowly repairing in his garage.

At about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 258663 U.S. Highway 101 a fuel leak quickly caught fire after Dillon Cummings turned on the engine of a Jeep he had been slowly repairing in his garage.

“I just started the car and it backfired,” Cummings said. “It was the first time it had been started in about a year.”

Cummings had been devoting all his spare time toward working on the Jeep and hoped it would be a surprise for his younger brother.

Clallam County Fire District 3 responded to the scene following the 9-1-1 call placed by Cummings’ mother Jeanie Brown. Brown was standing on the porch in celebration of the Jeep starting when the fire suddenly occurred.

“You could feel the heat from here,” Brown said standing on the porch of the house not far from the detached garage.

“It just happened so fast, but I am thankful no one was hurt.”