By Joe Johnson
A house off of Lexington Road in east Athens was destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning.
Residents of the house at 1608 ½ Lexington Road escaped unharmed, according to Capt. Nate Moss of the Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services Department.
“Just before 6 a.m. we had units dispatched to a structure fire in the area next to the AMC Theater on Lexington Road,” he said. “Flames were visible from a distance when our units were in the area. When crews arrived to the scene...they found a home set back from the roadway fully engulfed in flame.”
One resident who was outside the house with neighbors told firefighters that nobody else was inside, according to Moss.
“Due to the conditions of the fire, our crews were only able to make it part of the way into the structure, but found no victims in their search,” the fire official said. “After the fire was extinguished, a more thorough search inside the structure confirmed that no victims were inside.”
Red Cross was notified to assist with the immediate needs of the displaced residents.
Due to the amount of hose used to supply attack the fire, and the only hydrant being on Lexington Road, the eastbound lanes of the roadway between Winterville Road and Johnson Drive was closed to traffic for a few hours so that fire personnel could safely operate, according to Moss.
An investigation of the fire is being conducted said Moss, who added that a cause and point of origin of the blaze had yet to be determined as of Tuesday afternoon.