Fire Destroys Home, SUV; Melts Vinyl Siding Next Door

An intense fire destroyed a Gwinnett County home Wednesday afternoon, and challenged firefighters to keep the flames from spreading.

Fire crews responded at 5:07 p.m. after a passerby called 911 to report seeing smoke and flames coming from the house in the 1100 block of Hiram Davis Road, according to a Gwinnett Fire media alert. This is in an area of unincorporated Gwinnett County situated between the cities of Lawrenceville, Grayson and Dacula.

The caller and a neighbor knocked at the door of the house, but no one was apparently home.

Crews arrived to find the wood-frame house engulfed in flames. An SUV in the driveway was also on fire, and radiant heat had melted vinyl siding on a house next door. Hot embers also scorched trees in the woods behind the house.

“A steady breeze and a downed electrical service line in the front yard also challenged firefighters as they battled the blaze and protected exposures,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in the alert. “Fire crews had to battle the blaze from outside [defensive mode] due to the magnitude of fire and partial collapse. Firefighters flowed water from multiple hose lines and an aerial ladder device to control the flames.

The fire destroyed the house and the SUV, and caused moderate damage to the siding of the neighboring house.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Photos: Gwinnett Fire PIO