Gwinnett County officials say a man was found dead near the scene of a Thursday morning house fire near Buford.
The fire was at a home on North Bogan Road NE just north of Thompson Mill Road, with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services crews being called to the scene just before 7:00 a.m. When crews arrived, they reportedly found heavy smoke and fire coming from the two-story home.
"As crew members completed a survey of the scene, they observed a man in the woods behind the house who said that the house was vacant," a statement from Gwinnett fire officials said. "During operations, firefighters encountered the unidentified man in the woods again, but this time they observed him holding a shotgun."
Crews had the fire under control before 7:30 a.m. and requested Gwinnett County Police to respond to the scene after seeing the man with the gun.
"The man never threatened first responders on the scene, interfered with operations, or pointed the shotgun at fire personnel," fire officials said.
Gwinnett Police officers came to the scene and set up a perimeter around the home. A short time later, a neighbor contacted authorities saying a man was dead on their property.
"The police officer's investigation determined that the deceased male was the same one fire crews encountered earlier," fire officials said. "Officers said that it appeared that the male had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
No other injuries were reported in the incident and the cause of the fire is under investigation. The name of the man who died has not been released, but officials said he was the occupant of the home.
