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Six people displaced by Gwinnett duplex fire

One person received minor injuries escaping from a rear window, officials said.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett fire officials said one person received minor injuries escaping from a rear window at a duplex in unincorporated Norcross late Friday night.

According to a release from Lt. Justin Wilson with the Gwinnett County Fire Department, crews responded at about 11:57 p.m., after a neighbor of the home in the 5800 block of Kay Drive, called 911. 

Initially, Wilson said, Gwinnett Police were dispatched to a possible domestic disturbance in the area, but this was later determined to be commotion from the occupants of the home evacuating the burning building. 

Wilson said that officers advised the fire department that the structure was well-involved. 

When crews arrived, he said, they found a working fire on a single-story duplex with a partial basement. 

According to Wilson, heavy fire involvement was found across the front of the building as crews began to deploy hose lines and complete their walk-around of the structure. 

Wilson said a power line going into the structure was found down in the front yard after it was compromised by the flames. 

He said that the occupants of the home indicated that everyone was able to escape the building and was outside.

Firefighters began to knock down the flames with a 2 1/2-hose before transitioning to an interior attack inside the right unit of the duplex.  A second hose line was deployed to assist with putting out flames on the inside of the building. 

Wilson said the fire had already made it into the attic space and was in the process of transitioning to the left side of the building when crews were able to bring it under control. 

He said that additional crews completed searches of the building structure, secured the building's utilities, and used two ladders to help firefighters on the rear of the building. 

Credit: Gwinnett County Fire

Heavy fire damage was noted in the right-side unit of the duplex. The left-side unit suffered moderate smoke and water damage as a result of firefighting efforts, Wilson said. 

The residents indicated that there were three dogs inside, he said. Firefighters found two of them dead, while one was missing. 

Wilson said that one of the building's occupants who got out of a rear window was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries, but refused transport to the hospital. 

He said that the occupants of the right-side unit indicated that one person noticed smoke in the unit, and while investigating, found a fire in the living room. 

The left-side unit was not occupied when the fire occurred, Wilson said. 

A total of six people were displaced by the fire from the two units -- three of them requested assistance from the American Red Cross

Wilson said a fire investigator was able to determine that the fire originated in the front of the living room. The cause was ruled accidental, though the exact cause of the blaze's start was not determined. 

Equipment at the scene, Wilson said, included four engines, one ladder truck, one squad, one air/light unit, one medic unit, one medical supervisor, two battalion chiefs, one district commander, one fire investigator, and one PIO. 

    

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