DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A homeowner has concerns about the possible role his invisible fence played in a fire outside his home.
Michael Kane said he had no idea about the fire damage to his home until he was in his back yard last week. The plastic cover on the drain from his rain gutter burned off, and there is smoke damage at the top of his home.
"I mean, our house almost caught on fire and we didn't know it," Kane said.
The fire damage is near where the wire for his invisible fence is located.
"And the only thing that I can see is this wire here. That might have caused some sort of a fire," Kane said.
Kane uses the fence to keep his dog in his yard. He said the insulation on the fence wire burned off, but the fence still works and there's no damage to any of the other components.
"I'm afraid. And I've spoken to a representative from the invisible fence and they've assured me that it's safe," Kane said.
The fence company said a representative went to Kane's home and inspected the damage. A preliminary investigation showed no evidence of lightning damage to the fence, the company said.
A representative said the wire uses a radio frequency current and they've had no reports of fires caused by the fence unless lightning was involved.
Kane said his dog won't be wearing the collar until he knows what caused the fire.
"But nobody at this point seems to know what happened, why it happened, and what we can do to prevent it in the future," Kane said.
Kane said an arson investigator with DeKalb County told him there hasn't been a lightning storm here for the past several weeks. The company said it plans to have an insurance representative come to the home and look at the damage.
WSBTV
