Fire destroys 10,000 square foot home in Cumming

CUMMING - A 10,000 square foot home east of Cumming was destroyed by fire early Monday morning.

Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers said the family of five, a husband and wife and their three school-age sons, escaped the home when fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m.

The house was located inside a gated community at 2495 Belle Patrice Drive.

Shivers said the home was ruled a total loss, and while he did not know a cause for the fire, he said it appeared to be accidental.

Shivers said his crews remained on the scene all day Monday to watch for hot spots and assist with salvage efforts.

"When you're working with fires in homes this size, it's essentially treated as a commercial property," said Shivers. "It's a very large building with a lot of dangersa, a lot of void spaces."

Shivers said because the home was located on a large lot, other homes in the community were never in danger of catching fire.