By: Jemal Duran & Josh Simeone

j.simeone@krdotv.com

BLACK FOREST - A home at 12440 Milam Road is a complete loss after an aggressive garage fire spreads to the rest of the house.  An investigation into the cause continued Wednesday.

The couple owning the home--Clint and Kimberly Finney--escaped without injury.  More than 40 firefighters from several departments responded to the fire which started just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.  Clint says he and his son were inside watching TV when Kimberly alerted them to the fire as she returned home from work.  At the time, the deck was ablaze.  Clint says he tried to use an extinguisher, but it didn't work.  He then tried to use a garden hose which was of no use.

Authorities say efforts were hampered by sounds of explosions from the garage, possibly from ammunition or a propane tank stored there.  There was also difficulty in tracing the source of a gas line leak that added to the flames.

The flames left stone walls and part of the roof intact, but destroyed the rest of the home which was a log cabin built in 1913.  The house has been in the Finney family since 1963.  The Finneys have insurance, but say they probably won't rebuild the home.