A Capshaw man said he was grilling in the family garage Monday evening when the fire spread and eventually destroyed the garage and home, an East Limestone firefighter said Tuesday.

Because firefighters were not able to find a grill in the rubble, an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office is expected to arrive today to try and determine the cause of the fire, said East Limestone Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Tony Kirk.

Several neighbors called in the fire at 27031 Thomas Edward Drive around 5:50 p.m., records show.

“When we arrived, there was heavy fire involvement in the garage, and one-half to two-thirds of the attic and roof were already involved,” Kirk said. “The fire appears to have started in the garage and spread to the attic of the house. The garage was a total loss and so was the house because it burned the whole roof off — everything above the walls — and it collapsed.”

Firefighters from East, Oak Grove-Thach and Harvest responded to the blaze but were unable to determine exactly what transpired.

 “We don’t know exactly what happened,” Kirk said. “A 19-year-old boy was the only one at home. He lives there with his mom and sister. We were getting more than one story out of him. He said he had the grill going in the garage but we can’t confirm any of that. One problem is, we haven’t found a grill in the garage yet.”

Kirk said the 19-year-old suffered burns to his hands, and his face looked as if he had been sunburned. After being treated at Athens-Limestone Hospital, the man was released and had returned home before firefighters left the scene, Kirk said.