A Homer man was taken to the hospital after being overcome by smoke when his house caught fire Wednesday afternoon. The man, who officials said was in his late 50s to early 60s, was found outside his burning residence at 209 Woodland Street, according to Banks County Fire Chief Steve Nichols.
Firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the single-family residence around 4:40 p.m. on March 19. They arrived to find the house “well involved with several vehicles in the yard also burning,” says Chief Steve Nichols.
Fire personnel found the man lying on the ground in his front yard. Emergency medical personnel treated him at the scene for smoke inhalation and related complaints. Banks County EMS transported him by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. No one else was injured, Nichols says.
Banks County firefighters quickly controlled the blaze with help from Jackson County CI fire crews. Units remained on the scene for four hours.
Nichols says the house was a total loss. Officials contacted the American Red Cross to assist the displaced family.
Investigators with the Banks County Fire Investigation Division and State Fire Marshals Office are investigating the cause of the fire.
Wednesday’s blaze was at least the third major fire reported in Banks County this week.
A fire forced residents at Heritage Hills Apartment complex in Commerce from their homes Wednesday morning. And on Monday, March 17, several family pets died in a house fire on Barns Road in Commerce.
