GENE LIEB/The Express
BY COREY PRIDE
The Westside Express
Two small fires in different sections of town occurred within hours of each other on Wednesday, according to the Los Banos Fire Department.
Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Dorenbush said the first fire involved a commercial business. He said at approximately 1:45 p.m. firefighters responded to an exterior fire at Carlos’ Tire Shop at 1854 East Pacheco Blvd.
Dorenbush said 11 firefighters were at the scene where a shed was on fire at the auto repair/tire shop location. The car repair area and main office of the building were not impacted.
Dorenbush said no one was injured in the fire, but the burned shed is an estimated $5,000 loss.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The second fire occurred a couple hours later in a residential neighborhood.
Dorenbush said firefighters arrived at 4 p.m. at a single-family residence on the 500 block of North Santa Monica Street.
Dorenbush said the home’s garage was on fire. The flames, however, did not spread inside the home.
Dorenbush said the garage and a vehicle inside of it sustained a combined estimated $75,000 worth of damage. The year, make and model of the vehicle was not revealed.
Like the first fire, Dorenbush said no one was injured during the incident.
The cause of the garage fire is also still under investigation.
