Firefighters spent nearly ten hours on the scene of a house fire in Cleveland. It broke out around 1:30 Thursday morning, Oct. 3, at 216 Welcome Lane.
The homeowner called 911 and said they saw smoke and flames and were getting out of the house. When firefighters arrived, the 3500 square-foot home was heavily involved with fire, according to White County Public Safety Director David Murphy. They managed to put out the fire and salvage some of the belongings inside the home.
State Fire Investigator Brian Smith was called to the scene. He determined that the fire appeared to have started in the area of the main floor outdoor deck where the owner had been using a Big Green Egg charcoal barbecue cooker hours before the fire started.
“According to the owner, they left the fire in the Big Green Egg still burning with the lid closed after removing their food,” Murphy says. He says the fire appears to have burned up the back wall of the residence and into the attic area.
White County Fire Services with Automatic Aid from City of Cleveland Fire, City of Helen Fire, and Lee Arrendale Fire Brigade 1 responded to the call. They remained on the scene for nearly ten hours.
The White County CERT REHAB team also responded to the scene and assisted the homeowners and fire personnel. There were no injuries reported. Murphy says the homeowners declined assistance from the Red Cross because they have family in the area and went to stay with them.
