(Snellville, Ga., July 13, 2022) – Yesterday evening our units were dispatched at 4:46 p.m. to a report of a house fire on the 4300 block of Amy Road, SW in Snellville. The caller stated that a house was on fire with smoke showing. The caller stated everyone was out of the house.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a two-story, split-level, single-family dwelling with heavy fire moving from the basement-level garage up the exterior of the structure. Firefighters met with the homeowner, who confirmed everyone was outside the house. She could not find her three cats. Fire crews deployed two 1 ¾ - inch attack lines to knock down the fire before advancing into the structure for a search. Completion of primary and secondary searches confirmed that there were no people inside the structure, however one deceased feline was found. During the search, firefighters identified a compromised floor system on the Alpha/Bravo corner of the house. The finding was communicated to all fire crews. Other incident actions included establishing a positive water supply, a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), and a second means of egress.

There were no injuries reported during this incident. The homeowner stated she heard a loud “pop” after it began to rain. She began to investigate for evidence of a lightning strike when

 she observed smoke coming from her garage. The homeowner then called 911. Fire crews on scene determined the cause of the fire to be a lightning strike from a recent storm. All firefighters rotated through rehab before returning to service.

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

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 3-Engines, 1- Ladder Truck, 1-Squad, 1-Medic Unit, 1- Rescue, 2-Battalions, 1-Air and Light, and 1-PIO.

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