Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, GA -- A house was completely destroyed overnight in a fire so intense firefighters were still on the scene the next morning.

Not only putting out hot spots but also looking for people who may have been inside.

“We received the call shortly after 11,” said Albany fire investigator. “We still have hot spots and probably will have hot spots throughout the day.”

That's was at 11 Thursday night, but at 11 a.m. Friday firefighters were still on the scene of a fire that nearly burned the house at 707 North County Line Rd. ato the ground.

The homeowner was out of town. Crews were called out by a passerby who saw the fire but they suspect it may have already been burning for more than 40 minutes.

“There was a call for a trouble alarm for a fire at 10:30 that evening we were never notified,” said Harris.

Family of the homeowner says they received a strange call at about 10:30 p.m. they say if the alarm company handled the situation better firefighters may have been able to get a better jump on the fire.

“Somebody was calling me with a 1-800 number at night i was not going to answer. I think it was like 11:40 when they did decide to leave a message. Had they left that message earlier we could have responded earlier,” said Linda Jones, the homeowners cousin.

While the homeowner wasn't home firefighters were still fearful someone might have been inside but they later received good news.

“We have now received information that the individual that might of been here wasn't here and he has been located,” said Harris.

“The house is gone. You can always get another house, but another life you can't get that,” said Jones.

Investigators say an electrical short was the likely cause of the fire.