Alert Neighbor Reports Fire Saves Home from Destruction

CLEVELAND, Ga. — An alert neighbor may have saved a Cleveland home from being completely destroyed by fire Wednesday.

White County Fire Department Spokeswoman Ana Newberry said Richard Ellis was walking on Washboard Road when he noticed the blaze at 542 Washboard Road and called 9-1-1.

Units from White County Fire Stations 2 and 4 arrived along with a unit from the City of Cleveland and reported light smoke coming from the structure and the left corner of the carport. Firefighters quickly extinguished the posts of the carport along with some household trash that caught on fire. They then used a thermal imaging camera to check the attic areas for any extension of the fire but none were found.

The main part of the home sustained only minor damage to the vinyl siding. No one was at home at the time of the fire. The cause of the blaze is unknown at this time.