Firefighters work to contain a fire that destroyed a detached garage on the 400 block of Third Street in Butler on Wednesday. The flames also destroyed a 1985 Corvette.

A Butler man turned on his 1985 Corvette to heat it up Wednesday afternoon, but starting the engine inadvertently lit a fire in its undercarriage.

Edwin Pratts, 72, suffered a minor injury because he fell while escaping the fire. He called 911 shortly after 3 p.m. and then began moving other cars from his driveway to save them and clear a way for firefighters.

The Corvette was in Pratts' garage at the time. Flames didn't spread beyond the detached garage, but Chris Switala, chief of the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, said the garage could be considered a total loss.

The car couldn't be identified by fire crews at the scene because it was destroyed.

Pratts said he starts the car up every day just to keep it working well. He was not sure exactly what in it caught fire.

He was clearly sad to see the vehicle go, but relishes that the rest of his collection remained unscathed.

“I've got another one,” Pratts said with a grin, referring to a different year Corvette.

Several of Pratts' neighbors described the man as an avid car lover, collector and mechanic. Several witnesses said fire crews extinguished the flames within a few minutes of arrival.

Butler Bureau of Fire and the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District responded to the fire.

The fire occurred on the 400 block of Third Street in Butler.