Family whose house burned accounted for

GAINESVILLE - The north Gainesville family, whose three-story house was destroyed by fire early Friday, has been accounted for.

The fire was at 3044 Hickory Hills Drive and the call came in around 2:00. The owners of the home are listed as Danny and Beth Grindle.

Gainesville Fire Chief John Canada said the house was about 80 percent involved in flames when the first units arrived.

Canada said as late as 6 p.m., investigators still had not determined if anyone was home at the time of the fire, but he confirmed later in the morning that everyone who lived there had been accounted for.

Canada confirmed that part of the family was spending the night elsewhere in town and other family members were out of town.

He said crews could be there throughout the weekend watching for hot spots.

"Investigators are out there working sifting through what is left of the house to try and find indications of where exactly the fire started," Canada said.

He said it could be the first of the week before investigators know what started the fire in the 9,600-square-foot home.

Canada said an damage estimate on the house is not yet available.

Canada said firefighters battled another blaze on Cloverdale Street Friday morning.

He said the smaller fire was started by a vent fan in the bathroom.

"It burned up a little bit of the ceiling into the attic and the fan itself and created a small amount of smoke coming out of the house," Canada said.

He said there were also no injuries in the smaller fire.