A large Hixson home was destroyed by fire on Saturday morning.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 2:14 a.m. and responded to the 1900 block of Colonial Circle with five fire companies.
Battalion Chief Don Bowman said that, according to neighbors, the family was out of town. When the fire broke out, it had plenty of time to grow before a neighbor noticed it and called 911.
When the first fire company arrived on the scene, the large, three-story house was fully engulfed in flames.
Chief Bowman said the firefighters used a "defensive" fire attack, meaning they surrounded the structure with hand-held hose lines and master streams from aerials to contain the fire and eventually put it out. No injuries were reported.
An estimate on the dollar loss was not available, but Chief Bowman said the house was a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Chattanooga Police and Hamilton County EMS also provided assistance on the scene.