Woman using chair lift rescued when neighbor’s townhouse catches fire
A woman was rescued from a Gwinnett County townhouse Wednesday morning after her neighbor’s home caught on fire.
The woman, who had limited mobility, was trying to use a mechanical chair lift to get to the first floor of her Eagle Tiff Drive home when fire crews broke through the front door, Gwinnett fire spokesman Donald Strother said. They quickly carried her out of the townhouse as it began to fill with smoke.
A family of three had already made it out of the burning home next door, Strother said.
Flames were spreading from a garage to the first and second stories by the time crews arrived on scene at 7:30 a.m. Because of the fire’s size and speed, firefighters needed two hose lines to put it out, Strother said.
“Per fire investigators, the blaze was caused by a trickle battery charger in the garage,” he said. The townhouse was completely gutted.
One person from that unit was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for minor complaints. The woman who was rescued was also checked by medics but decided not to go to a hospital, Strother said.
The Red Cross responded to provide assistance to the family who lost their home and another family of five in a nearby unit whose power was turned off.
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