Merton family displaced by garage fire, which caused heat and smoke damage throughout the home

A town of Merton home's garage was a total loss after a May 12 structure fire, according to Merton Community Fire Chief Josh Paral.

Paral said the call came in at 1:22 p.m. and it took crews 15 to 20 minutes to get the fire under control. Crews were on scene for over two hours.

While Paral was unsure of where the fire originated from, it appeared to be the garage, which suffered the most damage. Crews prevented the fire from getting farther into the house.

"There is heat and smoke damage throughout the whole home," Paral said. "It's currently not livable."

Paral noted Red Cross was called. The family and pets were evacuated safely and there were no injuries to any civilians or fire crew members.

Paral also said they are waiting back on the insurance company to determine a damage estimate.

Fire departments from Hartland, Lisbon, Stone Bank and Sussex responded to the fire.

According to Waukesha County tax records, the fair market value for the home is $327,400. The home is owned by Richard and Cynthia Husting.

Contact Evan Frank at (262) 361-9138 or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.