Fire damages Cornelia home, sends one person to hospital

CORNELIA – Firefighters from four departments spent Tuesday afternoon extinguishing a fire at a 4,000-square-foot home on Grand Avenue in Cornelia.

The fire at 303 Grand Avenue came in as a fire alarm about 2 p.m., said Cornelia Fire Chief Billy Jenkins.

“We ended up having to transport one of the people that was here at the house to Habersham, to the E.R., for smoke inhalation,” Jenkins said.

Firefighters from Cornelia, Demorest, Habersham County and Lee Arrendale State Prison responded.

“Luckily, the fire was contained to the foyer,” Jenkins said. “The door was wide open, the windows were wide open, so it was pulling pretty good and was a pretty hot fire when we got here.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“My fire marshal, Josh Hazel, is looking into it and I’m not sure what resources he’s going to need,” Jenkins said. “We did contact the state fire marshal’s office and he’s in contact with them.”

Grand Avenue was closed from Maple Street to Laurel Drive for several hours, reopening before 5 p.m.

Smoke shrouds the 4,000-square-foot house at 303 Grand Avenue in Cornelia Tuesday afternoon.

Cornelia Fire Chief Billy Jenkins, center, talks with firefighters at the scene of Tuesday afternoon's fire on Grand Avenue.

Emergency vehicles fill Grand Avenue and Maple Street at the scene of Tuesday afternoon's house fire.

Emergency vehicles block Grand Avenue in Cornelia Tuesday afternoon.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/11/954803/fire-damages-cornelia-home-sends-one-person-to-hospital