(Norcross, Ga., March 10, 2016) – Please see the below update concerning the house fire on DeKalb Lane in Norcross on Monday, March 7, 2016.  Photo attached. 

This update provided by the Gwinnett Fire-PIO on 3-10-16 at 5:50p.m. 

Gwinnett County Fire Investigators are continuing to follow leads based on witness accounts of seeing the three Hispanic males, older teens, on bicycles and wearing backpacks in the immediate area of the home that is believed to have been burglarized then set on fire.  The teens were last seen about 50-minutes prior to the fire being reported.  The blaze has been ruled an act of arson. 

A witness told investigators that the back door was standing open (about a foot) when they went around back to see if anyone was inside the burning home.  The witness was unable to enter the house due to heat and smoke.  According to Fire Investigators, the rooms were found ransacked, however it is unknown whether anything was taken.  The fire caused heavy damage to the home and contents.  Witnesses provided a photograph to Fire Investigators of the teens, who are not known to the neighborhood.  The teens are believed to be potential suspects based on witness information.

Fire Investigators are working with Burglary Detectives from the Gwinnett County Police Department to try and identify the individuals and to see if they are connected to other crimes in the area. The fire on DeKalb Lane is the only blaze at this point that is connected to burglary.  Fire Investigators are now looking to see if there are any similarities in a fire that occurred at a house on Brooklyn Lane the same afternoon.  Both cases are open-active investigations by the fire department.  Residents in the community are asked to immediately report suspicious activity, such as persons or vehicles to the police by calling 9-1-1.

Fire Investigators are asking anyone with information to please contact the Gwinnett Fire Investigations Section at 678.518.4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1.800.282.5804.  Georgia Arson Control, Inc. offers a reward of UP TO $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for arson.  The individuals responsible could face felony arson and burglary charges.

Additional media information concerning the fire investigation will be sent by the Fire-PIO when available.    

GWINNETT FIRE/MEDIA E-NEWS RELEASE UPDATE #2:

HOUSE FIRE – 5700 BLOCK OF DEKALB LANE, NW IN NORCROSS

(Norcross, Ga., March 7, 2016) – Please see the below release and associated update concerning a house fire in Norcross on Monday, March 7, 2016.  The fire has been ruled an act of arson and possible burglary.

This update provided by the Gwinnett Fire-PIO on 3-8-16 at 11:29a.m.

Per Fire Investigators, the cause of the fire on DeKalb Lane in Norcross, yesterday (3-7-16) has been ruled arson.  Fire Investigators are looking into the possibility that the home may have been burglarized and set on fire.  The circumstances surrounding the blaze appear suspicious and are currently under active investigation by the fire department.  The home was engulfed in flames when firefighters and police arrived Monday afternoon.  See the below initial release information. 

Witnesses reported seeing three-Hispanic males, possibly older teens, in the area earlier in the afternoon.  Witnesses told investigators that the males were on bicycles and were wearing backpacks.  Specific information in the case is not being released based on the ongoing investigation.  Leads are still being developed and Fire Investigators are asking anyone with information to please contact the Gwinnett Fire Investigations Section at 678.518.4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1.800.282.5804.  Georgia Arson Control, Inc. offers a reward of UP TO $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for arson.  The individuals responsible could face felony arson and burglary charges.  Arson is a serious felony crime and is punishable by one to 20-years imprisonment and associated fines. 

Residents in the community are asked to immediately report suspicious activity, such as persons or vehicles to the police by calling 9-1-1.  It is unknown at this point whether the males are connected to other possible burglaries or criminal activity in the area. 

Additional media information concerning the fire investigation will be sent by the Fire-PIO when available.    

GWINNETT FIRE/MEDIA E-NEWS RELEASE UPDATE: HOUSE FIRE – 5700 BLOCK OF DEKALB LANE, NW IN NORCROSS

“PHOTOS ATTACHED” 

INCIDENT DATE: 03/07/16

TIME DISPATCHED: 5:23P.M.

TIME ARRIVED: 5:27P.M.

TIME UNDER CONTROL: 6:09P.M.

Firefighters responded at 5:23p.m., to multiple reports from neighbors of a house fire in the 5700 block of DeKalb Lane, NW in (unincorporated) Norcross.  Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames showing from a single-story wood frame and brick house.  Firefighters were unable to make immediate entry inside the home due to the magnitude of fire on arrival.  

Crews flowed water from multiple hose lines and an aerial ladder device to bring the fire under control and protect exposures.  The fire caused heavy damage (total loss) to the home and contents.  There was no one home at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported.  The exact cause of the fire is currently undetermined and is under active investigation.  Firefighters were still trying to make contact with the owner/occupants at the time of this news release.  There was no one at the house when the fire department arrived and all searches have proved negative for any victims.  Additional media information will be sent by the Fire-PIO when available.

The attached video shows fire crews operating in a defensive mode to control the fire from the exterior and setting up the aerial ladder to flow water on the fire from above.       

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 3-Engines, 1-Ladder Truck, 1-Squad, 1-Medic Unit, 1-Rehab Unit, 1-Air & Light Unit, 2-Battalion Chiefs, 2-Fire Investigators and 1-Fire PIO