A family pet died in a house fire in downtown Buford Friday night. A 911 call was made just after 11 p.m. that a home was fully involved in flames on W. Moreno Street.
Lieutenant Justin Wilson said that when fire crews arrived flames were coming from the home. "Fire fighters responded just under four minutes," he said. "We had a one story residential that was very involved in a fire with smoke coming out on all four sides from the windows. Firefighters immediately began a defensive mode of operation. We quickly found out from a neighbor that nobody was home, but that a dog was still inside and unaccounted for."
The initial search by firefigters confirmed noone was home, but a secondary search did find the dog had died as a result of the fire.
The fire was under control in a little over 50 minutes, according to Wilson. Hot spots throughout the home were completely extinguished as smoke cleared from the home with natural ventilation. The interior of the home sustained heavy fire damaged, including a partial collapse of the floor into the crawl space.
According to the homeowners, their adult male son lives at the home.
The fire originated near the center of the home in the subfloor and the cause appears to be electrical in nature.
Gwinnett County Fire Department uses this as an opportunity to remind everyone to practice home fire safety. Be sure to install working smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each bedroom. Develop a home escape plan and practice fire drills regularly. Check and maintain home heating appliances such as the furnace, fireplace and space heater. For additional information on home fire safety, please contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Division at 678-518-4845 or email [email protected].
