Howard Killmeyer shows his burnt wallet one day after a fire destroyed his home on Irene Drive in Butler Township.

BUTLER TWP — The township fire marshal deemed 123 Irene Drive a total loss after fire caused severe damage to the house and garage Sunday.

The cause of the fire is unknown, marshal Larry Christy said after investigating the burned remains of the structure Monday afternoon.

Christy said the blaze appeared to have started in the garage and is not suspicious.

Homeowner Howard Killmeyer, 80, was at home around 4 p.m. when he heard his smoke detectors going off and saw smoke coming from his garage.

Killmeyer on Monday said he was thankful he had changed his smoke detector batteries a couple months ago and that he heard them going off.

“It's a good thing it happened in the daytime. If it was in the night I could have been in a deep sleep,” he said.

Christy estimated the damage at $200,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents. Killmeyer did have homeowner's insurance and is staying with relatives.

A full story appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.