KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. -- Just after 6 p.m. Tuesday evening, Turkey Creek Fire Territory was dispatched to a home on Willow Avenue in Syracuse for a reported garage fire.

Willow Ave. presents unique challenges for quick fire access as it is a narrow, dead-end lakefront road with a channel on the opposite side. As such, automatic aid from Tippecanoe Township Fire Territory and Benton Township Fire Department was dispatched as part of the initial manpower response.

Battalion 12 arrived to find a garage heavily involved with fire extending throughout the structure and threatening nearby exposures. Due to the volume of fire, a defensive operation was initiated.

Firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire and keep damage to neighboring properties to a minimum. Unfortunately, the garage and a Chris-Craft boat were destroyed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.