ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A fire broke out around 4 a.m. Sunday, March 1, near Spring Hill Drive, completely destroying a home and leaving its occupants with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Robert Bryant, the owner of the home, said he was asleep when a next-door neighbor called to alert him to the fire and said they were calling 911.

“I jumped up out of bed, and I saw the orange glow through the windows,” Bryant said. “Ran to the door and the shop was on fire. So I grabbed my keys, grabbed the dogs. And then we got out of there.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. Bryant said officials told him the fire may have started with malfunctioning power tools in a workshop connected to the side of the house.

“At this time, they think it may have been some power tools,” Bryant said. “The batteries may have sparked and exploded and caused the fire.”

Bryant and his roommate, William Gore, were both at the property at the time of the fire. The two said they lost clothing, pictures, wallets and more.

“I’m just kind of numb right now,” Bryant said. “I literally have the clothes that are on me right now. I lost everything. I have my truck. We all made it out alive. I’ve got the dogs. But it’s just kind of numb. I mean, where do you start to rebuild a life?”

Bryant and Gore are in the process of setting up a GoFundMe. WALB will provide that link here once it is available.

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