Firefighters with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services were dispatched to a residential fire at a home in the 5700 block of Avonley Creek Drive NE in Sugar Hill at 12:54 p.m. Friday afternoon, Dec. 2.
Multiple neighbors in the Avonley Creek subdivision called to report the fire. One caller said the homeowner worked nights and they did not see him escape the home.
Fire crews arrived at the home on Avonley Creek Drive at 1 p.m. to find the two-story home on a slab foundation with heavy fire visible from the structure. Fire crews noted that three cars were in the driveway upon arrival. That information, along with the report from the caller who said they had not seen the homeowner escape, prompted fire crews to deploy a 1 3/4-inch handline to perform a rapid search inside the structure. Additional firefighters deployed ground ladders to search windows for victims and perform a walk-around.
“Due to deteriorating structural conditions, firefighters withdrew from interior operations,” said Capt. Ryan McGiboney, public information officer. “Incident command enacted a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) and confirmed that all firefighters operating on the scene were safe and accounted for.”
A ladder truck continued fighting the fire, knocking down the bulk of the flames. Firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots with two 1 3/4-inch handlines.
As crews worked, the homeowner and his wife were found safe on the sidewalk. The homeowner confirmed the home was vacant at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is undetermined.
Four engines, one ladder truck, two command staff units, a med unit, one air and light unit, three fire investigators and one PIO were dispatched to the scene of the fire.
