Fire destroys garage on east side of DeLand

Church next door not harmed

By Jennifer Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Apr 21, 2010 - 3:00:55pm

Peter Migner, pastor of DeLand Church of the Nazarene at 913 E. New York Ave., was out and about in the early afternoon today, April 21, when he noticed smoke billowing near his church.

He returned to the church to check, and found the DeLand Police Department already on the scene, with the DeLand Fire Department on the way. A garage at 909 E. New York Ave. was burning.

(Watch the video)

Migner said the city agencies responded very quickly.

The fire was at the corner of North McDonald and East New York avenues, next door to the church.

Migner's wife and several other people at the church said while the fire was burning, before Migner returned, there was an explosion.

"We're not sure what it was," Migner said. "The Fire Department is investigating."

He believes the property has been vacant for a while, and thought it is for sale.

Migner said the garage may not have been well-secured, and may have been used by vagrants. He said there may have been a beer keg in the shed.

"Maybe those [beer kegs] explode when they get real hot. I'm not sure," he said. "The Fire Department is investigating to find out how the fire started and what caused the explosion."

The Richard Milburn Academy charter school, with more than 100 students, was in session at the Church of the Nazarene when the blaze broke out.

Migner said no one was hurt, and no damage was done to the church property

DeLand Deputy Fire Chief Mark Harper said the State Fire Marshal was investigating.

Harper confirmed the fire caused about $25,000 in damage to the detached garage. The structure was not occupied.

The property owners were contacted and did arrive at the scene.

At this time, the cause of the fire is not known.

Earlier this week, there were small fires in DeLand involving a playground slide, and Dumpsters and a gazebo in Downtown DeLand.

If you have information about a crime, call Crime Stoppers, 1-888-277-TIPS. You can remain anonymous, and may be eligible for a reward.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

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