A Polk County home was destroyed by an afternoon fire Friday. No one was home at the time, reported officials.

Several county fire stations responded to the blaze at 53 Old Esom Hill Loop, Cedartown, around lunchtime.

The house is owned by Sevella Crawford. She along with two other people, who fire officals believe to be related to her, live there.

Elaine Anderson, Polk Emergency Management Agency director, said fire crews spent more than three hours at the site, but by the time they were notified and responded, the house was already lost.

She said early reports suggested someone was living in the house, which led to firefighters searching the back of the residence initially for survivors.

Fire officials soon learned that the Crawford family had been living with relatives in Rome for the last several days, after their power was shut off.

Anderson said that the cause of the fire is not known, and added that the fire department is not going to further investigate. She said that no one had asked for it to be investigated and if that be the case, the fire department will not, which is a standard policy.

Fire officials do know that gas was still being supplied to the house, but could not state if a faulty heater or a gas leak was the official cause.

Nothing salvagable except a photo album was removed from the house, Anderson said.

Old Esom Hill Loop is located just outside the city limits off Georgia Avenue.