Home at The Ridges Golf Course lost to flames

See a gallery of photos from the fire.

A home located at The Ridges golf course community in Hayesville was lost Saturday to a fire that had likely been smoldering more than 20 hours in the basement. The investigation into a cause is continuing.

Clay County Fire & Rescue reported that a neighbor observed smoke coming from the home on 48 Foxfire Drive and called 911 at around 2:40 p.m.

Homeowners Charlie & Debby Kohler had gone out of town Friday afternoon and had not returned by the time the fire began.

Clay Central Fire Chief Brandon Bailey said he called for assistance from area departments since many Hayesville firefighters were attending a fire school out of the county.

“Shooting Creek, Warne, Brasstown and Towns County, GA departments responded,” Bailey said. “That gave us adequate water supply, engines and firefighters on scene.”

A team of four firefighters with two handheld attack lines tackled the downstairs of the home, directed by Shooting Creek Fire Chief Joe Davenport. An upstairs team of four Towns County firefighters with two attack lines was directed by Clay Central Assistant Fire Chief Andy Lundquist. Clay County EMS also responded.

An initial size up found no flames or heavy smoke and doors and windows did not have abnormal temperatures. An interior search for the source of the fire was performed by a team of firefighters led by Assistant Fire Chief Adam Henry.

When the team found no source for the fire on the first search, the decision was made to reenter the house.

Henry found a small fire in a downstairs wall and quickly attacked the spot. Within seconds a blast occurred, sending a fireball rocketing through the home, propelling a firefighter onto the lawn surrounded by fire.

The blast shot out of the home’s doorways and within minutes the entire 4,000 square feet home was engulfed in flames.

The fire department then determined the structure was unsafe to reenter and the home was declared a total loss. One firefighter was treated and released from Murphy Medical Center.

Bailey reviewed photos and critiqued the fire with members of the department Monday afternoon. Studying the unusual behavior of the fire and the resulting events could assist professional associations nationwide in providing safety training, those familiar with the local incident said.