Cedar Hill Elem. school trailer damaged in fire

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An early morning fire at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Lawrenceville completely gutted one of two second grade classroom trailers.

Enlarge photo

Photo courtesy Tommy Rutledge, Gwinnett Fire Dept. Firefighters sifted through the charred debris after fire rips through modular classroom at Cedar Hill Elem.

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Firefighters responded at 3:24 a.m. to a report of the fire at the school on the 3600 block of Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. The call was made by a passerby.

The caller reportedly saw smoke and flames coming from behind the school and called 9-1-1 to alert the fire department, said fire officials.

When they arrived, firefighter found heavy smoke and flames coming from one of the trailers. Firefighters had to break through a locked gate to get to the fire, as well as force into the trailer.

The blaze completely destroyed the one classroom trailer and radiant heat caused exterior damage to a second nearby trailer, reported fire officials. However, there was no damage to the main-school building.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. According to investigators, the blaze is believed to have started inside the classroom in the area of the heating unit.

"However, investigators are not saying that it was the heater that started the fire," said Captain Tommy Rutledge with the Gwinnett Fire Dept.