(La Porte, IN) - A garage was destroyed by fire last evening in La Porte.

Firefighters responded just after 5 p.m. to the 500 block of Lawrence Street a few blocks south of Lincolnway on the city’s east side.

Fire Chief Andy Snyder said flames had nearly engulfed the two-car garage when firefighters arrived from the nearby fire station on Daytona Street shortly after the call. It reportedly took about 15 minutes to get a good knockdown of the flames, and another 45 minutes to completely extinguish the fire.

He said there were no vehicles in the garage at the time. Heat from the fire melted some of the siding on a neighbor’s garage about 30 to 40 feet away.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Snyder noted that the garage was equipped with electricity and the front door was often left open for extended periods of time.

“Hopefully, we’ll come to some conclusion on what started it,” Snyder said.