Monday south Hall fire was accidental

FLOWERY BRANCH - Discarded fireplace ashes got the blame for Monday morning's fire in south Hall County that destroyed a house on Loving Road.

Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said the homeowner set discarded ashes in front of the porch earlier that morning.

Cagle said winds were high on that day, 20 miles per hour with gusts even higher.

"It was a difficult fire to fight with the sub-freezing temperatures and most of all the wind. The wind is what really made the fire get much bigger in size," Cagle said Monday.

No one was home at the time of the fire. First responders rescued two cats from the basement of the 2500 square-foot house.