Fairview Drive house burns; no injuries

Published 8:30 am Friday, August 1, 2025

A vacant house near the West Hill Cemetery that was undergoing a remodeling project burned early Wednesday morning and firefighters say the structure is likely a total loss.

The Dalton Fire Department responded to 500 Fairview Drive shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, but the structure was already fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. There were no injuries.

The fire was reported Wednesday morning by Dalton Police Department officers who were on a break at the Police Services Center near the scene. The officers smelled smoke in the air and called the dispatch center to find out if the fire department was out on a call. The officers then drove toward the smoke to try to find the fire. Once they got to Ridge Street near the cemetery where the back of the house is they called in the location and the fire department was dispatched.

When the firefighters arrived the fire had already spread throughout the house. The firefighters were eventually able to get the fire under control and put it out, but the house is likely a total loss. So far, a cause of the fire has not been determined but it appears that the fire likely started in the basement before spreading.