A late-night fire Saturday damaged a home in Peachtree City, also killing three family pets, fire officials said.

The fire at 223 Cedar Drive started in the garage area, but firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading throughout the home, said Assistant Fire Marshal David Williamson. When firefighters first arrived, flames were visible from the garage, Williamson said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined so far and it is believed to be accidental, Williamson said. The homeowners had been away for the evening and spotted the smoke when they returned, he added.

The fire damage was contained to the garage and exterior of the home, which helped save much of the house’s contents, but heat and smoke damage extended to the rest of the house, Williamson said.

One reason the fire was stopped quickly was because two firefighters were on the first engine that responded to the scene, Williamson said. Although the department’s staffing level usually means one person responds on each apparatus, in this case a volunteer was staying overnight at the nearest station and responded on the first fire engine with a career firefighter, Williamson said.

“That allowed them to attack the fire when they got on the scene without having to wait an extreme length of time,” Williamson said.

The garage was fully Sheetrocked, which also helped keep the flames away from the interior of the structure, Williamson noted.

The blaze killed the family’s three pets: two dogs and a cat, Williamson said.

The last activity in the garage was Wednesday when the owner’s golf cart was brought in, he added. “We’ll be looking at the golf cart,” as part of the ongoing investigation, Williamson said.

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