Two people escaped injury during a Thursday morning blaze that torched a rental home northeast of Cumming near Lake Lanier.

“It was pretty intense,” said Randy Ford, a tenant at the home on Adams Road. “I woke up and I smelled smoke.”

Ford said he then awakened his friend. While she was getting out of the house, he checked to make sure no one else was inside.

“I got myself out while I was on the phone,” Ford said.

The fire was reported about 9:15 a.m.

Forsyth County Fire Capt. Jason Shivers said the blaze is under investigation, though it appears to be accidental.

He noted that there had been a fire in the fireplace Wednesday night.

Shivers said the damage to the home, which is by the Young Deer Creek area of the lake, is substantial.

“It’s an open floor plan,” he said. “And when you burn a section of these octagon-style homes, it’s going to inflict heavy damage throughout the home from smoke.”