CLEVELAND -- An alert neighbor is credited with reporting a residential fire east of Cleveland and possibly saving the home from being completely destroyed early Wednesday.
White County Fire Department spokeswoman Ana Newberry said a neighbor was walking on Washboard Road when they heard some crackling and then noticed the blaze at 542 Washboard Road.
White County E-9-1-1 was alerted at 9:33 a.m. and county fire stations 2 and 4 and Cleveland Fire Department were dispatched, Newberry said.
First units arriving on scene reported light smoke coming from the structure and that the left corner of the carport was involved. Firefighters quickly extinguished the posts of the carport along with some household trash that had also caught on fire, Newberry said. A quick knockdown of the fire was also made.
A thermal imaging camera was used in the attic areas to check for extensions; none were found.
According to Newberry, the home sustained minor damage to the vinyl siding in the carport and some charring of the carport posts. No one was home at the time of the fire.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
