By Joe Johnson
A vacant home at 430 Moreland Ave. was destroyed by fire Tuesday night.
Firefighters were dispatched to the location at 8:28 p.m. on a report of a structure fire, said Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services Capt. Nate Moss.
"On arrival they found a one-story structure with heavy fire conditions present throughout the building," Moss said. "Due to the home being set back from the street, and its location in a wooded area, crews had to stretch hose lines a good distance from the streets on multiple sides of the structure to assure that adequate water was used to extinguish the fire. The fire was attacked from the outside of the house due to heavy fire conditions."
After the flames were extinguished, fire personnel made entry into the home to search for possible victims. None were found.
"All intelligence we gathered at the time of our arrival indicated the home to probably be abandoned or vacant," Moss said. "There was no electrical service to the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation. At this point we cannot be sure if the fire was set intentionally or if there was an accidental cause."
Moss said that a firefighter sustained a minor injury while performing work outside of the home.