The Troup County Fire Department spent more than an hour battling a house fire on the 200 block of East Mount Zion Road Thursday afternoon.

The fire was called in by neighbor Sharunda Ford, who said nobody was at home when the fire occurred. One pet, a dog, was in the house when the fire started, but Ford said her family found him on the porch. He was uninjured.

“When we came over he kicked the door open, and we saw smoke coming (out of the house),” Ford said.

Ford called 911 and Troup County Fire was sent with EMS. Ford said she also called the homeowner, who was at work.

Many in the neighborhood gathered around Thursday afternoon in support of the homeowner, who watched as firefighters worked to put out the flames. Firefighters broke a hole into her garage to put the fire out there, while also working their way into the house.

The damage appeared to be extensive, and firefighters were still busy at work when the LaGrange Daily News staff left the scene after 5:30 p.m. The cause of the fire was unknown Thursday afternoon.

The Troup County Fire Department, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, AMR and Emergency Medical Services responded to the fire.