(Dacula, Ga., Oct. 1, 2022) – Firefighters responded at 8:14 p.m. to a neighbor’s report of a house fire in the 100 block of River Pass Court NE in Dacula. The 911 caller advised of a neighbor’s house on fire.

On arrival, crews found the front porch of a two-story home well involved. Firefighters immediately deployed a hose line to the front of the home to knock down the flames. With the bulk of the fire knocked down, crews began checking the home’s interior for extension and located fire above the garage and in the attic. These areas were quickly accessed, and the fire was extinguished. Additional crews on scene searched the structure for victims and established a rapid intervention team, deploying ground ladders on the front of the home. The scene was under control in approximately 20 minutes. Residual smoke was removed with positive pressure ventilation. The home sustained fire damage to the front porch and attic areas with moderate smoke and water damage throughout the remainder of the home. One adult occupant was treated for smoke inhalation and transported to a local hospital in stable condition for further evaluation. No other injuries were reported.

According to an occupant, three people were at home when neighbors alerted them to the fire. An attempt to extinguish the fire with a garden hose was unsuccessful. While the home was protected with working smoke alarms, they did not alert the occupants due to the initial location of the fire. A total of six family members including five adults and one child were displaced due to the damage. The American Red Cross is providing temporary assistance.

During the investigation of the fire’s origin and cause, camera footage from the front door shows the fire starting in the corner of the front porch next to the garage. The family advised there was a leaf blower plugged into an extension cord in the corner. Firefighters at the scene determined the fire to be accidental in nature and were unable to rule out electrical as the cause of the fire.

For additional information on home fire safety, please contact the Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services’ Community Risk Reduction Division at 678-518-4845 or email fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com.  

Equipment at the scene included: 4-Engines, 1-Ladder Truck, 1-Squad, 1-Air/Light Unit, 2-Medic Units, 1-Medical Supervisor, 2-Battalion Chiefs and 1-PIO

Note: Pictures of the incident can be located on Facebook and Twitter @GwinnettFire.