An alert plumber who noticed smoke in a water heater closet while working at a Norcross apartment complex called 911 and pulled the fire alarm, allowing 12 families to escape their burning building Tuesday, fire officials said.
The fire was reported at the Terra at Norcross apartments on Colony Drive just before 10:15 a.m., Gwinnett County fire spokesman Capt. Ryan McGiboney said. The plumber and other members of his crew activated the fire alarms to help nearly all of the two-story building’s occupants evacuate.
One man suffered a minor injury related to the blaze but was treated and released at the scene, McGiboney said. Firefighters searched the burning building and were able to rescue two pets that were trapped inside, safely returning them to their owners.
Firefighters encountered flames on the second floor of the building and in the attic, McGiboney said. The fire was serious enough that firefighters punched holes in the roof to ventilate the smoke and heat.
The Terra management team is working with the affected families to provide shelter after they were displaced from their homes, McGiboney said. None of the families requested help from the Red Cross.
McGiboney said the incident was “a good reminder of how important it is to learn the sounds of fire safety such as fire alarms.”
“Families are encouraged to practice exit drills in their homes and develop a fire escape plan,” McGiboney added.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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