(Lawrenceville, Ga., August 16, 2019) - Firefighters responded at 1:24pm to a report of a fire on the 500 block of Rockmill Court SW in unincorporated Lawrenceville. The caller to 9-1-1 stated that half of the house was on fire and an adult male family member was still inside.

While heading to the incident, crews reportedly saw a column of smoke in the area. Upon their arrival, fire personnel found heavy fire from the front of a split-level, single-family residence with a second fire to a similarly constructed house to the left. Radio traffic advised incoming units of an entrapment in the basement of the structure with heavy fire.   Due to the second fire, the District Commander requested two additional fire engines, a fire truck, and a medical unit be added to the initial dispatch.

Multiple hand lines were deployed as fire personnel implemented a transitional fire attack.  This mode of operation allowed crews to vent, enter, isolate, and search the structure to attempt to find the entrapped victim as other personnel continued battling the blaze. The victim was located and extricated from a basement-level window. Within minutes, he was loaded onto a medical unit and transported to the hospital in critical condition. The victim was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.

Aerial operations were started to get the large fire under control. Assistance was requested from the Technical Rescue Team (TRT-24) due to a collapse within the structure. Crews are awaiting the arrival of a backhoe from the Department of Water Resources to take down an unsafe wall and separate debris so that it can be completely extinguished. The house is considered a total loss due to heavy fire damage and structural collapse inside.  The second home had extensive charring on its right side but firefighters made a good stop on the fire and limited the damage to the exterior.

Fire Investigators are actively trying to determine the cause and starting point of the fire.  American Red Cross will be providing temporary assistance for three adults and eight children that have been displaced. Firefighters are rotating in and out of rehab getting their vitals checked and rehydrating.  There are no reported injuries to our personnel.

The Fire-PIO is unable to identify the victim or provide specific injury information due to Federal Patient Privacy Laws known as HIPAA.

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 6-Engines, 1-Squad, 3-Trucks, 1-Air & Light, 1-Technical Rescue Team, 1-Georgia Search and Rescue Truck, 3-Medical Units, 1-Medical Supervisor, 1-District Commander, 3-Battalion Chiefs, 4-Fire Investigators, and 1-PIO.