Gwinnett townhome fire ruled arson
A Monday night fire that threatened the sleeping residents of a Norcross-area townhome was intentionally set, officials said.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m., multiple people sleeping at the townhome on the 3100 block of Smith Ridge Trace awoke to the sound of their garage door opening, Gwinnett County fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. They went downstairs and "discovered their garage ablaze."
The residents were able to escape unharmed and the flames were quickly extinguished, Rutledge said, but one car was destroyed and a second suffered extensive cosmetic damage.
Investigators have ruled the fire arson.
"According to fire investigators, there was previous damage to the garage door which created a partial opening," Rutledge said in a news release. "It is believed that an unknown person(s) unlawfully entered the garage via the opening and intentionally set fire to contents."
No other details were released.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Gwinnett County fire department at 678-518-4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1-800-282-5804. Tipsters who call the latter may remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $10,000.
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Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
