Accidental car fire causes $50K damage to Rainey Street high rise

A car caught on fire in an underground parking garage at the Milago on Rainey Street in downtown Austin Aug. 12, 2019 (Austin Fire Department Photo)

by: Kate Winkle, Tulsi Kamath

Posted: Aug 12, 2019 / 11:26 AM CDT

Updated: Aug 12, 2019 / 01:17 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Rainey Street in downtown Austin shut down Monday as the Austin Fire Department responded to a car fire in a parking garage.

AFD tweeted around 11:10 a.m. that the street is shut down between Cummings and River Street. It said there is a car fire in the parking garage two levels below ground at the Milago at 54 Rainey St.

Re High Rise Fire at the Milago, 54 Rainey Street: Smoke Buster 35 assists with smoke removal. pic.twitter.com/1pzH1kWyuz
— Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) August 12, 2019

As of 11:26 a.m., AFD said the fire was extinguished. Crews checked to see if it spread and began to ventilate the parking garage. AFD tweeted photos of the parking smoky garage in the aftermath of the fire. An AFD SmokeBuster was brought to the scene to help remove smoke and ventilate the garage.

By Monday afternoon, officials ruled the car fire as accidental and it caused about $5,000 damage to the vehicle and about $45,000 structural damage.