Four Carbon County area fire departments battled a blaze early Monday afternoon in an oversized garage that threatened adjacent woodlands in Franklin Township.

Bob Getz of 495 Maury Road, Franklin Township, said the garage caught fire after wind picked up and spread a fire he had started to burn cardboard. Getz was burning on the ground in an area about 20 feet from the structure."The wind picked up and the fire rushed to the grass and then spread to the garage," said Getz. "The barn is made out of pressboard and its old and dry. I didn't think it would go up that quick."Assisting Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Co. at the scene were firefighters from Lehighton, Parryville and Bowmanstown fire departments.Getz said that he had been working on an old car in the garage.The body of the badly burned car could be seen from the opening in the garage."I took the motor out of it," he said.Getz said the property is owned by Jason Ahner and is being managed by his mother, Donna Ahner."I don't think there is insurance on the property," said Getz, who lives in a mobile home several hundred feet from the garage.There is a second mobile home on the property."This was the first nice day," he said. "I've got a lot to clean up. I'm going to have a mess. I'm so glad they saved it."The area is in high risk for forest fire, according to the Forestry sign on Route 903 in Penn Forest Township.The threat is caused by a combination of dry woodlands, little precipitation and spring winds.A firefighter on the scene noted that a dog had been in a dog coop about 20 feet from where the fire started. The dog was not injured and waited in a car while firefighters battled the blaze.Wesley Keller of the Forestry Division of the Department of Natural Resources (DCNR) said, "It's lucky it's not windy like yesterday."Keller said that the fire burned dangerously close to the woods."People should have at least a 30-foot clearing between the woods and a structure," said Keller. "The clearing protects the house from a forest fire and the clearing also protects the house from a forest fire."Keller took the time to compliment the local communities."This area is the most active area with Fire Wise programs in the commonwealth," said Keller. "Glad the firefighters were able to stop it or we'd be chasing a forest fire."Wayne Nothstein, county commission and Lehighton firefighter was at the fire scene."The county hasn't put out a countywide burn ban," said Nothstein. "Unless all of the fire companies do it, we're not going to. We need some rain."Lynn Diehl, assistant fire chief, said, "We don't presently have a fire ban in Franklin Township. We kind of leave it up to the county."