The president of The Varsity restaurant chain and his family escaped a large overnight fire that destroyed their house in Roswell.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our family home,” Gordon Muir said Tuesday in a statement obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The fire broke out at around 10:45 p.m. Monday at 460 Prado Terrace in the Lakeside at Ansley subdivision, according to the Roswell Fire Department, which battled the blaze alongside the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety and the Milton Fire-Rescue Department.
A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing smoke coming from the back of the home, Roswell fire spokesperson Chad Miller said. Those inside had made it out by the time firefighters arrived, and two of the nine occupants were evaluated for smoke inhalation.
“Fortunately, our entire family emerged safely from the fire. We greatly appreciate everyone’s concern in this difficult time,” said Muir, who is a grandson of The Varsity founder Frank Gordy.
It took several hours to control the flames, which left the home destroyed. The 7,961-square-foot structure was built in 2003, according to online county records.
Lou Tabickman, who has lived in the area for 21 years, said he couldn’t get to sleep until around 2:30 a.m. because of the commotion in his typically quiet neighborhood, he told the AJC.
“This morning when I got up, that house would have been burned to the ground, but they did a fabulous job, the fire departments,” he said. “It’s pretty bad, but not as bad as I thought it might be.”
Milton fire said they provided a battalion chief and ladder truck to help with the fire. They noted those resources were sent as part of the North Fulton Automatic Aid Agreement.
“The Roswell Fire Department will remain on the scene throughout the day investigating the cause of the fire,” Miller said.
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