A fire caused by an electrical problem destroyed a house just outside the Mount Airy city limits Sunday.

No one was at the home when the blaze was reported at 5:50 a.m. at 1996 Caudle Drive, according to Jamie Fore, the chief of the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department.

“We had personnel on the scene within two minutes after the call was received by the communications center,” Fore said.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames shooting through the roof “and the rest of the house was well-involved,” he said. The blaze was brought under control within about 20 minutes.

However, that quick action did not prevent heavy damage from occurring. Both the wood-frame structure and its contents were ruled a total loss, with the damage estimated at around $75,000.

Fore explained that since no one was home, coupled with the fact that there were few passersby in the Caudle Drive area early Sunday, the blaze wasn’t readily discovered. “That gave the fire a good head start on us,” he said.

“It was determined to be electrical in nature,” the Franklin fire chief added. The Surry County Fire Marshal’s Office assisted in investigating its origin.

The owner of the house was identified as John Yarboro, but he does not live there. The home had been occupied by Yarboro’s son and another man, whose names were not available Sunday.

About 25 firefighters responded to the incident.

The Franklin unit was assisted by members of the Bannertown, Four-Way and White Plains volunteer fire departments. The Surry County EMS and Mount Airy Rescue Squad provided standby medical assistance.

Firemen remained on the scene until about 9 a.m. Sunday investigating the cause of the blaze, trying to salvage items from inside the house and doing clean-up work.