ABOVE: The shed/detached garage was completely flattened by the massive tree and sustained damage from a fire that ensued when the tree took down power lines in the process. Photo — Alicia Couch Payne
BUFORD — The Gwinnett County Fire Department responded to a house fire call on Tuesday for a home located at 20 Morgan Street in downtown Buford.
The homeowner placed a call to 911 at 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday reporting that a tree had fallen onto their home and a fire had ensued.
Once fire crews arrived on the scene they began to assess the situation. They discovered that a massive tree fell onto a power line, the house, and a shed/detached garage structure. When the tree fell onto the power line, it caused a fire that damaged the shed and power line but did not reach the home.
The shed had been completely crushed by the tree but fortunately, the house received no damage from the tree or the fire nearby. Firefighters reported that there were no injuries from the incident.
Witnesses said that a storm had come through the area earlier but that at the time when the tree fell that the wind was relatively calm.
The City of Buford Power crews arrived on the scene within 30 minutes and began repairing the power lines.
While at the scene, firefighters installed two smoke detectors in the home.
Gwinnett County responded to this call with three fire engines, one squad, one ladder truck, one medical unit, and two battalion chiefs.
— Staff Reports
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