Woman's quick response may have helped save home from fire

FULTON COUNTY — Fire investigators are combing through a burned out garage trying to find the cause of a house fire in south Fulton County.

The fire started early Thursday morning at a home on Renaissance Circle.

"The fire itself did not penetrate to the house itself, it was maintained in the garage," said Jack Butler, Deputy Fire Chief of the Fulton County Fire and Rescue.

There's only smoke damage in part of the house and that may be to the quick response of the homeowner who heard something suspicious around 2 a.m.

"The owner heard the garage door go open and we think that was the fire itself shorting out the garage door," Butler said.

Once outside, the homeowner saw the smoke and was able to safely get her daughter out of the house and help on the way.

Fire investigators are now tasked with finding the cause, since it doesn't appear to be anything obvious.

"Sometimes a heat source just does not present itself right away. So you have to try to dig to find something that can lend itself to being that heat source," Butler said.

Fire investigators say most homes do not have smoke detectors in the garage or even interconnected to set others off and they recommend sprinklers for homes, not just commercial buildings.

"Sprinkler systems, 97.3 percent of the time, will either put the fire out or hold it in check until the fire department get there," Butler said.

Neighbors, who did not want to be identified, said that they were glad to hear the fire didn't spread further in the home or jump to neighboring homes.

WSBTV