Two unrelated house fires in Lawrenceville damaged homes Sunday, displacing one family and killing a dog.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services responded to the first home on Sisters Court about 3 a.m. Sunday. A neighbor called 911, and police were the first to arrive on scene to find the home’s attached garage engulfed in flames.
The family, including three adults and two children, had already escaped with no injuries. Firefighters brought the blaze under control after about 20 minutes, but it had already caused heavy damage to the home.
The family was asleep when the fire started, Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. The mother awoke to hear her children crying and smelled smoke when she went to check on them. She and the father realized the garage was on fire and moved the entire family outside. Their smoke alarms went off as they exited the house.
Investigators could not immediately determine what caused the fire. The family was renting the home but declined assistance from the American Red Cross, saying they were planning to stay with friends.
Gwinnett firefighters responded to the second house fire on Dowry Drive about 5 p.m. Sunday. The couple living at the house had been running errands and found smoke coming from the home’s garage when they returned.
The husband called 911 to report the fire and let the dispatcher know that their dog was still inside. The man broke a glass window and entered the house but could not find the animal.
Firefighters found heavy smoke and an active fire in the kitchen, but they were also unsuccessful in finding the dog. Though crews were able to quickly put out the fire, it caused heavy damage to the kitchen and sent smoke and heat throughout the rest of the house. The dog did not survive.
Rutledge said the second fire appeared to have been started by accident due to an electrical issue. The couple told firefighters at the scene that they recently reset a tripped circuit breaker in the electrical panel between the garage and kitchen.
The couple, who were renting the home, requested help from the Red Cross.
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Credit: AJC
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