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COLUMBIA - Fire investigators from the Columbia Fire Department and the Boone County Fire District are working to determine the cause of two fires at the same residence Wednesday morning. Fire crews responded to a home at 4301 Vermont Avenue Wednesday morning for the second time, to put out another fire just hours after responding to the same house for a garage fire. Fire captain John Metz said the second fire was visible in the roof area of the home. Firefighters got the second call at 10:16 a.m.

The homeowner called the Columbia Fire Department at 10:16 a.m. after he noticed smoke coming from the roof of his home. Fire fighters returned and found heavy smoke in the attic and fire along the roof's ridgeline. Crews attacked the attic fire with hand lines and then used aerial ladder hose streams because of the instability of the roof.

The roof of the home sustained significant fire damage but crews were able to control the fire in about 20 minutes. Much of the house sustained water and smoke damage.

Upon arrival to the fire, the incident commander requested three more fire engines be sent to the scene due to the size of the home and the hot temperatures outside.

The homeowner said he has a few friends and their kids who live with him in the home. He is also dog-sitting some friend's pets, so there were a lot of animals inside the house. He reported that all the people and pets got out safely in both instances.

Metz said he is unsure of the amount or value of the damage to the roof area, but calls it "significant." Metz said investigators are looking into the cause of the fires and whether the two are related.

The earlier fire started around 6:22 am and was confined to the home's garage. Metz said firefighters were able to put out that fire fairly quickly. They estimate the damage to the garage to be around $25,000. Fire crews left the scene around 8:00 a.m.