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You mention that it is a "extra high efficiency fire place" (did you mean an enclosed woodstove) and to me, that means an open flame that is crackling and spitting sparks occasionally, which would not be safe at all in a garage with flammibles. I have burnt firewood almost exclusively in a high efficiency woodstove that is well sealed in my house for 20 years now with no problems. It becomes too hot to stand in front of for more than a few seconds, but it is on a raised tile hearth with fireproof metal wall shields on two sides, so it is as safe as can be.
In a garage setting, I would still have the metal wall shields with a 1" air space behind each one, and I assume, it would be sitting on a concrete floor. Where most fires start is where the chimney gose through the roof. I used a metalbestus stainless steel chimney that goes through the wall with a metal spacer that keeps the hot chimney pipe 6" away from everything in the wall to prevent heating up . I run a wire chimney brush through the pipe 3-4 times a year to get rid of any buildups, and help prevent chimney fires. Bottom line is that this is safe if you pay attention to what you're doing, and be diligant about eliminating the risks.
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