News Details
FIRE DESTROYS GRAYSON HOME
(Grayson, Ga., January 22, 2020) – Firefighters responded at 4:32pm to a passerby report of a house fire in the 900 block of Cooper Road, SW in Grayson. Multiple callers to 911 reported flames coming from the house. The blaze was brought under control at 5:30pm.
Responding fire crews could see a heavy column of dark smoke from a distance as they approached the scene. Firefighters arrived to find a large two-story, wood-frame house fully-involved. Crews deployed fire attack and water supply hose lines and positioned the first-arriving ladder truck for aerial operations. Firefighters operated in the defensive mode due to the magnitude of the fire and partial collapse of the structure. Flames were burning on both levels and in the attic, forcing firefighters to knock down the bulk of the fire from the exterior. Crews flowed water from 3-handlines and 2-aerial ladder trucks to extinguish the blaze.
There was no one home at the time of the fire and no human injuries were reported. The homeowner was contacted by a neighbor and reported to the scene as crews were battling the blaze. The woman stated that she left the house around 3:15pm to pick up her children from school. She told the Fire Investigator that she had a warming fire in the wood burning stove on the back-right corner of the house. The area of origin is concentrated in the corner where the stove was located and cannot be ruled out as a potential cause by the investigator. The exact cause is undetermined and is under investigation. Two dogs were believed to be inside the house at the time of the fire. One was deceased and one was unaccounted for at the time of this release. The home and contents are considered a total loss. A tractor from Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources was requested by the Incident Commander to take down unstable walls in order to complete extinguishment and render the structure safe.
The family, 3-adults and 2-children, are displaced from the home and are being assisted by relatives and their insurance company. Their insurance agent was at the scene this evening. The family declined assistance from the American Red Cross.
EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 2-Engines, 2-Ladder Trucks, 1-Squad, 1-Medic Unit, 1-Air & Light Unit, 1-Rehab Unit, 1-Battalion Chief, 1-District Commander, 1-Fire Investigator and 1-PIO.
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