Heat lamp causes fire at Belmont Hwy. home

GAINESVILLE - A homeowner trying to stave off the freezing weather might have started a fire that destroyed a Belmont Highway house.

Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell said a passerby called 9-1-1 just before 10:00 Wednesday morning to report the fire.

He said the home began burning quickly soon after firefighters arrived on the scene.

"It [the fire] appears to have started in the area of a heat lamp that was in the crawl space to keep the pipes from freezing," said Kimbrell.

Kimbrell said the 1600 square-foot house was destroyed. He did not have an estimate on the total damage cost.