No one hurt in Lakeside house fire

West Shore News

Somers, Lakeside and South Kalispell crews responded to a house fire on Lakeside Boulevard at about 3:30 on Friday afternoon apparently started when a vehicle fire spread to a garage and then the residence.

No one was hurt in the blaze.

Though Somers Fire Chief Rich Boon said the exact cause of the fire was unclear, a neighbor on scene told the West Shore News that the home's elderly owner noticed a small fire in the engine compartment of his car after starting it.

Boon said that when engines arrived, the garage and another outbuilding were fully engulfed.

The fire spread from the garage to a corner of the house. It also burned a few tall trees on the property and set a few spot fires downwind, which crews from South Kalispell Fire Department had mopped up.

Boon said the hot weather was not only good for fires, it makes fighting them more difficult.

"This heat is tough on our guys," he said. "It really tires them out."