Matthew 25 owned garage damaged by fireworks in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - City investigators are looking for more information after fireworks caused a fire that damaged a garage owned by Matthew 25, a nonprofit that focuses on neighborhood transformations.

According to a Cedar Rapids Fire Department news release, firefighters were dispatched at 10:18 p.m. Thursday to 411 G Avenue NW for the report of a garage fire.

Crews discovered a two-stall detached garage with exterior fire damage. Its siding was melted, and the wood behind the siding was charred. The fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived, according to the release.

Fire officials said they learned from neighbors that an explosion happened before the fire. Witnesses told investigators that several men had stepped out of a vehicle, extinguished the fire and left, according to the release.

Evidence of a detonated firework that 'ignited nearby combustibles” was found on a concrete pad near the garage, and investigators determined that fireworks had been involved in starting the blaze, the release said.

Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to contact the Cedar Rapids Fire Department at (319) 286-5200.

Fire department officials reminded city residents that it is illegal to possess and discharge fireworks within city limits.