Authorities said an unattended, burning candle is to blame for a fire that injured four people and caused heavy damage to a home in Lawrenceville late Tuesday night.
Gwinnett County Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge said the family that lived there attempted to escape the fire, but crews had to rescue an elderly woman who was trapped in the stairwell. Rutledge said the husband and wife jumped from a second story bathroom window. Then, the man used a ladder to help his granddaughter and her infant child out of the home on Standford Circle. Three dogs were also rescued.
The elderly woman was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in critical condition, the granddaughter and the infant were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and the man was treated at the scene.
Rutledge said the burning candle that caused the fire was part of a religious shrine that was kept lit while the family slept.
The fire was first reported at 11:58 pm Tuesday.
