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(Courtesy White County Public Safety) -
(Courtesy White County Tax Assessors Office)
Firefighters have been steady with emergency calls lately, but a structure fire Monday evening offered a bit of a change-up.
White County firefighters responded around 8:30 p.m. to a March 15 incident involving “treehouse” rental cabin on Walnut Ridge Drive, said county Public Safety Director David Murphy. The effort included mutual aid from the City of Cleveland and the Lee Arrendale Fire Brigade.
The fire appears to have started in the fireplace, Murphy said, and something within the system malfunctioned. The State Fire Marshall has been called to investigate.
No injuries were reported. The cabin’s occupants were relocated to another rental on site, Murphy said.
The Georgia Forestry Commission had been called after the fire spread from the building into woods. Murphy said firefighters quickly controlled the blaze in both parts and remained at the scene for a “significant time of overhaul.”
The cabin had only been open for about a month for rental, Murphy said. Though common in other tourist areas, Murphy said the treehouse – or “pedestal” house – is a new short-term rental concept for the county, but it presents a challenge for emergencies such as a fire.