Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked a fire that destroyed a multi-million dollar lake house in Rabun County. The blaze broke out around 10:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, at 989 Mathis Dam Road.
E-911 dispatched Rabun County Fire Services to the scene after a nearby resident reported the fire.
“The caller to 911 was across the lake and reported hearing an explosion and could see the house and trees on fire,” says assistant fire chief Justin Upchurch. He says the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office arrived first on the scene and determined no one was inside.
According to Upchurch, crews from three fire stations and a fireboat arrived at the house within minutes of each other. When they got there, there was fire and heavy smoke coming from the basement and side of the three-story, 7,233 square-foot structure.
Firefighters tried to knock down the flames from inside the basement but zero visibility and intense heat drove them back. Within minutes of evacuating, the house erupted in flames, Upchurch says. Rabun County requested mutual aid from Habersham County Emergency Services for more manpower.
Embers from the inferno sparked several small woods fires and caused a power pole to catch fire. EMS treated five firefighters on the scene for heat exhaustion and dehydration but did not transport any of them to the hospital, Upchurch says.
The fireboat drew water from the lake to assist in the effort, but crews were unable to save the structure. Fire personnel remained on the scene for nearly six hours. The lake house, which was bought in 2015 for $2.5 million according to online real estate records, was a total loss.
Upchurch says small contained fires burned in the basement throughout the day Tuesday.
“The cause of the fire is unknown at this time,” he says.
The house was a vacation home and was not occupied full-time. The fire could be seen for miles around as reported by numerous 911 callers.
