10-23-18
(Cleveland)- White County Fire Services officials report they responded two residential fires Monday. White County Public Safety Director David Murphy said the first fire was reported around 3 PM at 2980 Sky Lake Road, Sautee. Upon arrival, firefighters investigated and found that the owners were having their HVAC system repaired. Once repaired by the technician it was turned on.
Homeowners left the home and when they returned to find the home filled with light smoke. Firefighters used a Thermal Imaging Camera in the crawl space to access the HVAC system where no fire was detected; firefighters determined that the HVAC system had failed to operate properly.
Firefighters then used a ventilation fan and cleared the home of smoke. The homeowner called the technician back out to the residence to check the HVAC for further repairs. No damage or injuries were reported.
The second fire was reported at 5 PM at 351 Joe Black Road, Sautee. Murphy reported that firefighters found a 4,000 square foot home that had significant smoke coming from the partial basement area. Homeowners stated that the basement was on fire and they were attempting to extinguish it. Firefighters took over extinguishment and stopped the fire from spreading throughout the home from the crawlspace of the home.
According to Murphy after the investigation, it was determined that a hot piece of equipment was placed on a wooden table and the radiant heat caused a fire which spread up the walls and into the crawl space; the home sustained significant smoke damage. A resident was checked for smoke inhalation by White County Emergency Medical Services but was not transported.
Homeowners did not need assistance from the Red Cross.
No other injuries were reported and firefighters were on scene for about 2 hours.
