House fire started by outdoor grill left unattended

PRESS RELEASE

CLEVELAND, Ga. — White County Fire Services — with Automatic Aid from City of Cleveland Fire, City of Helen Fire, and Lee Arrendale Fire Brigade 1 — was dispatched to 216 Welcome Lane in Cleveland at 1:30 a.m. today

The home owner advised the 911 Center that he could see smoke and flames and they were exiting the home. Upon arrival of the first fire units, the 3,500 square-foot home was heavily involved with fire. Once fire personnel extinguished the fire, firefighters began salvage and overhaul including the removal of personal items from the home to avoid further damage.

State Fire Investigator Brian Smith was called to the scene and 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 just hours before the fire occurred. According to the owner, they left the fire in the Big Green Egg still burning with the lid closed after removing their food. The fire appears to have burned up the back wall of the residence and into the attic area.

The White County CERT REHAB team responded to the scene and assisted the home owners and fire personnel on scene. There were no injuries reported and the home owners declined assistance from the Red Cross as they have family in the area.

Firefighters were on scene for more than nine hours.

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