Paul Yuntis escaped his home with his cat early Friday morning as the home caught fire.

Firefighters were called at 4:10 a.m., and when they arrived heavy flames were showing from the attic of the five bedroom, five bathroom house in the lakeside Harbour Point subdivision in northwest Hall County.

The home “suffered extensive damage to the first and second floors,” Hall County Fire Services spokesman Capt. Zachary Brackett said.

The house is 5,000 square feet and located in the 3800 block of Silver Brook Lane near Dawsonville Highway.

Yuntis believes his home, which he bought with wife Sheryl in 2010, was hit by lightning. Sheryl was out of town at the time of the fire.

Brackett said the fire is under investigation and he could not yet release a cause.

“Our guys were able to remove the occupants’ cars from the garage and retrieve valuables that the homeowner directed us to,” Brackett said.

Some of the valuables included Yuntis’ three laptops.

He hopes he will be able to rebuild his home.

“As far as the restoration goes, we can only say what is damaged but not to what level it can be restored,” Brackett said.

Investigators were still on scene this afternoon.