A fire started in a garage of an Atwood home Sunday afternoon destroying the garage and causing heavy damage to the home.

A tanker from Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory and full assistance from Leesburg/Plain Township Fire Department was called to assist Atwood with a house fire Sunday afternoon.

The fire, at 3401 W. 550 N., Atwood, started in the garage of a home and spread to the house, according to Atwood Fire Chief Mike Harmon. This morning, Harmon said the home is likely a total loss, as was two vehicles that were parked outside the garage.

Harmon said that, earlier in the day, the couple who live at the home burned off a small grassy area outside of the garage where they hoped to plant a garden. The man said it put out the fire and doused it with water prior to leaving the residence for the afternoon. “It started in the garage, but what started it we don’t know,” Harmon said, adding he believes the fire was accidental.

No one was home when the fire started. The blaze was called in by a neighbor shortly after 2 p.m.