Man escapes Marietta house fire

By KATIE LESLIE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Marietta man escaped a house fire early Sunday morning that destroyed his two-story home.

Cobb County firefighters responded to the blaze in the 2700 block of Craig Court after a newspaper delivery person called 911 around 5:20 a.m. Sunday, said Lt. Dan Dupree of Cobb County Fire and Emergency.

Dupree said the home was engulfed in flames and firefighters were unable to enter and had to battle the blaze from the exterior. At 5:45 a.m., 911 received a call from a disoriented man who said he was inside the home, Dupree said.

“We didn’t discount it, but we thought that it would be extremely rare for someone to be alive in a house [in this fire],” he said.

Officials were able to use GPS technology to track the man, Robert Gruel, behind the home. He had somehow escaped the house fire, Dupree said. Gruel was taken to North Fulton Regional Hospital and was discharged mid-day Sunday, according to a hospital spokesperson.

No one else was hurt in the fire as the man’s family was out of town this weekend.

The house is a total loss, Dupree said. As of Sunday morning, firefighters continue to put out hot spots throughout the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.