<p>A Franklin couple is grateful to a landscaper who alerted them to a fire that destroyed their home in the Paris Estates subdivision. </p><p>Jim and Rebecca Black don’t know the man’s name, but said he banged on their door after he saw smoke billowing out of their roof, and helped them get their vehicles out of the garage.</p><p>An initial inspection shows the fire started in the attic of the home in the 1300 block of Hillside Drive about 9:53 a.m. Monday, and spread to the roof first before moving inside, said Matt Culp, Franklin fire chief. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. </p><p>When the landscaper knocked, the couple was already aware something was wrong, but they didn’t know what it was, Jim Black said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>Their first clue was the television going off, which prompted Jim to check the electrical box in the garage. In the garage, the smell of smoke was apparent, and he could hear a crackling sound from the fire, he said.</p><p>Around that time, the landscaper knocked. The Black’s neighbors, the Wakefields, asked the landscaper to alert them, knowing he would get there faster, Jim Black said.</p><p>The Franklin Fire Department responded and had the fire under control in about five minutes. Crews stayed at the scene for a few hours to prevent rekindling, Culp said.</p><p>Despite their quick response, the fire had already caused about $300,000 in damage, Jim Black said.</p><p>Tuesday, just one day after the fire, the couple was in a good place thanks to an outpouring of support from their family and the community, he said. </p><p>“We want to thank the bravest finest Franklin Fire Department, Franklin’s best of the best police officers, our neighbors for offering to allow us to stay in their home (and) our wonderful mayor for stopping by to see if there was anything he could do,” Jim Black said. “Our son James Black, daughter Melanie Soots (and) granddaughters Chelsea and Mikayla for our new clothes. God Bless all of you.”</p><p>The couple plans to rebuild in Franklin and remain part of the community that kept them safe on one of the worst days of their life, he said.</p>
