(Loganville, Ga., May 16, 2019) – A Loganville couple and their dog escaped an early morning house fire thanks to a smoke alarm that was installed by Gwinnett County firefighters.

Firefighters responded to an occupant report of a house fire on Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 2:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of Brushy Fork Road in unincorporated Loganville. The caller reported a smell of smoke inside the residence and the smoke alarm going off. The caller was instructed to evacuate the home as fire crews were being dispatched.

Firefighters arrived to find an active fire on the back of a two-story, split-foyer home.  Flames were burning inside the exterior wall and were climbing up the back of the house as firefighters deployed fire attack hose lines. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevented the flames from spreading inside the main living space. There was extensive damage to the exterior wall and only residual smoke and water damage to the affected area inside the home.

According to firefighters, the blaze was quickly spreading inside the wall space and was only minutes from penetrating the actual living quarters, where the stairwell exit pathway would have been impassable for the occupants who were asleep upstairs. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental and is believed to have started from an electrical wall outlet at the back of the house near the deck.

The smoke alarm that alerted the unsuspecting couple was installed back in July of 2018 by firefighters from Gwinnett County Fire Station 28 in unincorporated Loganville. The fire service across the U.S. has preached the importance of installing working smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each of the bedrooms as a long-standing residential fire safety program.

Gwinnett firefighters go a step further and actually install smoke alarms or check existing smoke alarms during community visits and while on emergency calls. Smoke alarms and fire safety information are carried on the fire trucks alongside the fire hoses and firefighting tools and equipment. It’s not uncommon for a fire crew to recognize the need for a smoke alarm to be installed and then go out to the truck to retrieve the smoke alarm tool bag. 

This overnight fire is a prime example of Gwinnett Firefighters taking the extra steps to safeguard a family and their home. “The efforts of our personnel really paid off, and we are extremely proud of the positive outcome for this family,” said Fire Chief Russell Knick.

For additional information on home fire safety, please contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Division/Education Section at 678-518-4845 or email fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com. The department offers free home safety surveys and smoke alarm checks as part of its community outreach programs.