Investigation: Alto house fire was accidental

ATLANTA – The fire that destroyed a 2,000-square foot home on Mud Creek Road near Alto on Monday has been ruled accidental.

Glenn Allen, spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens’ State Fire Marshal’s Office, said Friday the fire is believed to have started in the area of a wood heater in the back of the house.

Firefighters from Habersham County, Baldwin, and Lee Arrendale State Prison spent about five hours on the scene of that fire, which was reported shortly before 11 a.m.

The fire, at a 2,000-square-foot brick ranch-style home at 737 Mud Creek Road, was reported by shortly before 11 a.m.

A truck in the carport at the rear of the home also was destroyed in the blaze.

Mud Creek Road was shut down for close to five hours because of the supply hose from a fire hydrant to the fire trucks.