Gun shop catches fire in downtown Lawrenceville

A fire broke out inside a downtown Lawrenceville gun shop Saturday morning, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at the Bull’s Eye Indoor Range and Gun Shop on West Crogan Street about 10:20 a.m., a Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said

Fire investigators said the fire began at the shop’s rifle range and that the blaze was ignited by a tracer round.

Tracer rounds burn brightly so fired bullets are more visible.

Employees and customers inside the business were able to make it out of the shop safely, and the fire was snuffed out in about an hour, authorities said.

Firefighters had to cut holes in the roof to ventilate the building. The blaze caused “significant fire and smoke damage” throughout the entire range, but the retail side of the building was not affected.