Local police and state fire marshals have launched an investigation after a house in western Chatham County was destroyed in a blaze Friday night. It was the second time fire broke out a the Southbridge subdivision home in one day.
The first call came to the home on Crestwood Drive at about 3:15 p.m., and that fire was confined to the garage area, said Southside Fire/EMS Assistant Chief Wayne Noha. Firefighters were called again at 8:42 p.m., about 15 minutes after a subcontractor left the home. They arrived to find the home up in flames.
About 40 firefighters responded. The two-story home was a total loss, Noha said.
“It took several hours to extinguish all the flames and to begin overhaul,” he said.
Firefighters remained on scene until after 2 a.m.
Noha said that no residents or firefighters were hurt. Fire was coming out of two sides of the house, and one neighbor’s home sustained minor damage to its siding. Noha said one of the firefighters main objectives Friday night was to prevent the blaze from spreading to other homes.
Both fires began in a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe parked in the garage, said Eunicia Baker, Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether arson was a factor in the fires, Baker said.
Noha said an investigator from the state Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner was at the home Saturday for several hours and will return.
Police are asking anyone with information on this investigation to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward. Detectives can be reached in confidence at 912-525-3124.