Family of 10 displaced by early morning fire
By Curt Yeomans
Click here for updates on this story
LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia (Gwinnett Daily Post) — A fire that displaced a family of 10 people in Lawrenceville early Monday morning has been ruled an accident, but the exact cause of it remains unknown, Gwinnett fire officials announced.
Capt. Ryan McGiboney said crews were called to the two-story home on the 2000 block of Montrose Court at 3:10 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find flames coming out of all sides of the home and deployed multiple hose lines in an effort to fight the fire.
“There were no injuries reported at this incident and firefighters rotated through rehab before returning to service,” McGiboney said. “Fire crews determined the fire to be accidental in nature but were unable to determine the cause.”
The fire department’s spokesman said firefighters were able to get into the home to finish suppression efforts once they had the fire under control and a Rapid Intervention Team was able to set up multiple secondary egress points. The crews found there was have damage from the fire on a back wall and the flooring system for the second story was compromised.
“The homeowner stated that everyone was asleep at the time the fire started,” McGiboney said. “A family member had awoken and was making his way to the bathroom when he noticed a light coming from downstairs. Upon investigating, the father-in-law discovered that the back wall of the house was on fire. The smoke alarms activated, and all residents were able to escape before fire crews arrived.”
Six adults and four children lived in the home. They are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
McGiboney said the fire highlights the importance of having working smoke alarms. National Fire Protection Association recommendations include installing smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each sleeping area, he said. The Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services department offers extensive fire safety information at GwinnettSafety411.com.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
