Peachtree City family has lost its home in a

raging blaze that was fed for at least two hours

off.

By

the time firefighters arrived five minutes after

the call Thursday, one-third of Steve and Kay

Norton's home on Muirfield Way was already

destroyed, said acting fire chief Stony Lohr. A

total of 27 firefighters, including 15

volunteers, battled the blaze after it was

reported at 5:04 p.m., Lohr added.

"We

had everybody in the city there," Lohr said.

The

gas line wasn't shut off until after 7 p.m., Lohr

added.

"good Samaritan" fund has been

established to help the Nortons and their three

children. Friends and family have provided items

to help the Nortons for the next few days, but

money and long-term supplies are needed.

Checks

may be made out to Peachtree City United

Methodist Church and marked for the Norton Family

Good Samaritan Fund. For information phone the

church at 770-487-6499 or Kim Metarko at

770-632-0262.

When

firefighters first arrived, they were able to

determine almost immediately that no one was

home, Lohr said. After that was confirmed, the

crew's job was to protect the other structures in

the area.

Investigators

believe the fire was started by workers who were

installing an air conditioning system in a

two-story addition to the rear of the home,

though there are no indications it was set on

purpose, Lohr said. The losses are estimated at

$500,000.

Other

insurance companies are also investigating the

blaze just because of the high value of the home,

Lohr added.

Wind

ranging between 20 and 30 knots blew sparks from

the fire into the nearby Village on the Green

subdivision, which started a few small fires,

Lohr said. A truck was dispatched there to

extinguish those flames before they got out of

hand.

The

portion of the fire fed by the natural gas,

however, had to be kept burning slightly because

complete extinguishment might have led to an

explosion as the gas built up, Lohr said.

The

Nortons had been home briefly about a half-hour

before the blaze was reported, Lohr said. They

returned hours later from a trip to Atlanta to

face the wreckage that was once their home.

The flames on one side

of the house melted windows and shutters, Lohr

added.

<!--

-----------