A clothes dryer fire ended up destroying a garage and melting electronic equipment Monday evening at a home on Republic Avenue.

The fire call came in at 6:56 p.m., from the home at 1173 Republic Ave., and the blaze was under control by 7:15 p.m., Napa Fire Capt. Jim Pope said.

The cause of the fire, which did $15,000 in property damage and $20,000 in damage to the contents of the garage, was an improperly vented dryer, Pope said. "The vent hose was buried underneath some stored items in the garage."

The fire extended into the kitchen, but firefighters were able to attack the fire from the kitchen, thus pushing it back into the garage, Pope said.

A woman and her children were inside the home when the fire broke out. A neighbor spotted the burning dryer and notified the occupants, who tried unsuccessfully to put it out with a garden hose, Pope said.

No one was injured in the fire.

In addition to fire damage in the kitchen, the interior of the house received smoke and water damage.

Pope urges residents to clean the lint trap inside their dryers after every laundry load. "Beyond that, check the hose itself to make sure it's not clogged and make sure never to pile anything on top or around the hose."

Pope also encourages people at least once a year to pull the dryer from the wall and clean out all lint and debris.

Auto theft foiled

Two out-of-county men found themselves in the back of a patrol car headed off to Napa County jail after a foiled attempt to heist two Toyota Acuras.

Early Tuesday morning, a resident on Oakstone Way in American Canyon called police to report two possible auto thefts, American Canyon Police Sgt. Craig Nickles said.

When officers arrived they saw two men driving away in the alleged stolen vehicles, Nickles said.

Both drivers were stopped a short distance away and taken into custody without any trouble, he said.

William Enrique Anaya, 20, of Richmond and Alberto Ceja Moran, 18, of El Sobrante were arrested on suspicion of felony theft.

Storage units

broken into

Thieves had a field day at Capell Valley Boat and RV storage, breaking into numerous storage lockers and helping themselves to property that didn't belong to them, according to sheriff's Capt. John Robertson.

The theft from the business in 5000 block of Highway 128 was reported on Monday.

Victims reported missing items, including tools, generators, a boat and a trailer, Robertson said.

The thieves cut the locks of the gates around the business and locks of the units, he said.

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