For Mike Baker, this weekend's Jefferson Park Tour of Homes and Gardens isn't just about showing his abode to strangers. Rather, it's his chance to tell a deeply personal story about his East Point neighborhood.

Two and a half years ago, Baker's home was heavily damaged in a major fire. It was the week of Thanksgiving 2005, and the Realtor was on vacation. Thankfully, neighbors enjoying a gumbo feast a few doors down quickly jumped into action, calling 911 as windows blew out of his Cape Cod-styled home. One person even broke inside his home to search for Baker's dog, not knowing he had taken his poodle, Maudy, with him.

Sara Hopkins / Special/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)

Rick Ecord (left) and Mike Baker sit in the kitchen of their East Point home, which will be featured in the Jefferson Park Tour of Homes.

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Firefighters kept the community at bay while controlling the blaze, but Baker's neighbors, like Charlotte Cagle, didn't stop to watch. Instead, they bought plywood and measured all doors and windows, preparing to board up the charred home once firefighters gave them clearance.

Their work was completed by the time Baker arrived home that night, unaware of his neighbors' actions.

"They spent their entire evening taking care of my house," he said. "Firefighters said they had never seen anything like it."

Cagle said she and others were just looking out for a friend.

"I think everybody [in Jefferson Park] considers people to not only be neighbors, but family," she said. "They wanted to make sure the house was taken care of in the same way they'd want their home to be cared for."

With his partner Rick Ecord, Baker has restored the three-bedroom house, preserving what they could from the original structure, such as a mantel and French doors. Baker also took the fire as an opportunity to redesign his kitchen and master suite.

Once the work was completed, Baker didn't know how to reach all of the people who had helped save the home the night of the fire. Instead of sending out countless cards, he hung a banner across the front of his home with this message: "Nothing material is more valuable than the acts of kindness from my family and friends."

"They knew I was gone, and they took care of everything for me," Baker said. "That's a neighborhood."

IF YOU GO:

The sixth annual Jefferson Park Tour of Homes & Gardens runs today and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 online or $15 at the ticket booth, located at Batavia Street between Jefferson Avenue and Winburn Drive. Parking available at the Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church, 1150 Jefferson Ave. in East Point. For details, visit www.jeffersonpark.org or contact Randy Nash at 404-202-2411.