Homeowner Attempts to Fight Flames Himself Before Firefighters Extinguish Garage Fire

Bill Goodwin was in his kitchen when he saw the smoke coming from his garage Monday evening.

He grabbed a fire extinguisher and attempted to extinguish the flames himself, but was unsuccessful. The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District responded to a reported fire on Mockingbird Place in Danville at 4:31 p.m. and the blaze was extinguished about 15 minutes later, San Ramon Valley Fire District Capt. Tom Andersen said.

Goodwin said his wife was also in the home when the fire started but nobody was hurt.

"I'm worried about my Porsche," said Goodwin as he looked into his burnt garage. "I bought it in 1962."

The home shares a wall with a neighboring home, but the fire was contained to Goodwin's residence, Andersen said.

Fire investigators did not immediately have an estimate of the cost of damages or the cause of the fire.

Goodwin, who is a pipe smoker, said that might be connected to the cause of the fire, since he had matches and flammable materials in the garage.

"It was real stupidity," Goodwin said. "Nobody got hurt, that's what's important."