(Lawrenceville, Ga., December 12, 2022) - Firefighters responded to a report of an apartment fire at 476 Huff Street NW in Lawrenceville at 7:48 p.m. Multiple callers reported that their apartment building was on fire and people were trying to escape.

Fire crews arrived at 7:51 p.m. to find a two-story, multi-family dwelling on a basement with heavy fire blowing through a breezeway located in the center of the building. One occupant was observed waving his hands from a second-story window on the corner of the building. Firefighters employed a rescue tactic known as Vent-Enter-Isolate-Search to safely rescue the victim. Meanwhile, other fire crews deployed multiple attack lines to combat the flames. Multiple ladders were deployed on all sides of the building as a precaution. Firefighters received rumors that a second occupant remained trapped in one of the apartments, however, additional searches confirmed everyone had escaped. The fire was brought under control by 8:00 p.m.

One of the apartment tenants confirmed the presence of working smoke alarms inside the building, stating that the property manager, “just delivered new ones." One adult male was treated and released for nonlife-threatening injuries related to the fire. There were no other injuries reported at this incident. The American Red Cross will be working with apartment management to secure shelter for the displaced occupants during repairs. All firefighters rotated through rehab before returning to service. The cause of this fire was undetermined.

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 6- Engines, 2- Ladder Trucks, 1- Squad, 1- Rescue, 3- Command Staff Units, 6- Med Units, 2- Air and Light Units, 1- MS, 1- Fire Investigator, and 1- PIO. 

Note: For pictures of this incident please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @GwinnettFire.

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