(Update 11:50-a.m.)

Fire fighters from Adair, Exira and Anita responded to the scene of a structure fire northwest of Adair, this (Tuesday) morning. Adair Fire Chief Jordan Smith told KJAN News a female in the residence at 3025 Union Avenue (about 5-miles northwest of Adair) was awakened by the smell of smoke at around 8-a.m., and saw the garage on fire. There were no smoke detectors in the home. The woman called 9-1-1 and escaped without injury along with two dogs.

When the first fire crews arrived on the scene, the garage, which was connected to the home by a breezeway, was fully engulfed in flames. The garage was a total loss, while the home sustained some flame and smoke damage. Law enforcement was called to control traffic at the scene because the thick, dense smoke was crossing the road.

Smith said a wood burning stove in the garage, or an electric fan circulating air in the garage, or a combination of the two, may have caused the blaze, but the incident remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.

He said Mother Nature helped keep the flames from destroying the house, by blowing the wind away from the structure. Crews were on the scene for about three hours.