Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a 911 call reporting a fire at a home in the 300 block of Pine L Drive in downtown Buford early Thursday morning, Feb. 22. The person who called 911 advised the call center that there was a fire on the porch of the home and that all occupants of the home had evacuated.
Fire crews responded to the call at 6:12 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found a single-family, single-story home with a working fire.
“While investigating, firefighters noted heavy fire involvement on the porch, main floor, attic, and into a bonus room that was added to the original home,” said Fire Lt. Jessica Joiner, an assistant public information officer with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services.
Firefighters cleared the basement and determined that no fire was present there. They then deployed two hose lines to combat the flames. It took approximately 30 minutes for fire crews to extinguish the fire. The home had extensive fire damage to the bonus room and heavy fire damage throughout the main floor. Although the basement didn’t suffer any fire damage, it did suffer water damage.
An occupant of the home spoke with firefighters and told them that he was asleep in his bedroom with his bedroom door closed when he woke up to a burning smell. He then went to investigate to find the source of the burning smell.
“Once the occupant left his bedroom, the smoke alarms activated, and he noticed a glow of a fire on the back porch,” said Joiner.
No injuries were reported at the scene. Two adults and a dog were displaced by the fire. The occupants declined assistance from the Red Cross as they stated they would be staying with family and friends while repairs to their home were being made.
Fire investigators arrived on the scene and determined the fire was accidental and started on the back porch of the home.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services sent one truck, three engines, a medical unit, one air and light unit, one squad, two command staff units, two fire investigators and one PIO to the scene.
