Michael Pierce's cat saved

his life early Wednesday morning, waking him up to a fire that engulfed

his north Fayette home around 2 a.m.

After discovering the fire,

Smith escaped through a ground level window and ran to a neighbor's house

on Victoria Court to call 911 after his cellphone didn't work, said

Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency

Services.

The department is investigating

the cause of the fire but no determination has yet been made, Nelms said.

Damages were estimated to reach over a half-million dollars.

"We're investigating

it like any other fire we have," Nelms said.

The blaze almost completely

destroyed the roof of the house and caused substantial damage to the two

main floors and basement, Nelms said.

Flames were showing when the

first county fire crew arrived six minutes after receiving the call, Nelms

said. More crews were called to the scene, based on the sheer size of

the house alone, which was estimated at over 6,000 sq. ft., Nelms said.

The Fayetteville Fire Department

provided "excellent" assistance to fight the fire, Nelms noted.

Six fire engines responded along with two ambulances, two rescue trucks,

the county fire department's manpower squad and Fayetteville's tower truck.

No firefighters were injured

during the blaze, Nelms said.

The city's tower truck supplied

water from above to fight the flames, Nelms added.

The last county fire truck

left the scene almost 14 hours after the fire was first reported. The

extended amount of time was due to the initial investigation that took

place, Nelms said.

Firefighters escorted Pierce

into his home to retrieve some personal belongings late in the afternoon.