Neighbors credited with saving Buttonwood home after fire erupts in garage

Neighbors are being credited with saving a burning home Tuesday afternoon in the Village of Buttonwood.

Crews from The Villages Public Safety Department responded to a garage fire at 2:43 p.m. at home in the 2600 block of Buttonwood Run. When they arrived, a boat inside the garage was ablaze, which apparently was caused by an electrical issue on the small craft.

Crews quickly knocked down the fire and the garage suffered only smoke damage. There were no injuries and the living quarters of the house weren’t damaged. And the first crews on scene handled the fire and were able to cancel all other inbound units.

Those living near the residence were credited with saving the home after seeing smoke coming from the eaves.

“It’s a good thing the neighbors noticed it when they did and we had a rapid response,” Fire Chief Edmund Cain said. “They were a big part of stopping this whole incident from becoming much worse.”