Lightning Fire, Other Storm-Related Problems Mark 4th In Gwinnett

DACULA, GA — A house fire caused by lightning was just one of the calls Gwinnett County fire and emergency crews responded to on a stormy Fourth of July.

Downed trees, including two that hit vehicles, and toppled power lines were among the incidents created when afternoon and early evening storms ripped through the area.

Lightning struck a house in the 1760 block of School House Trace in Dacula on Tuesday. A 911 caller said smoke was coming from the house, but the fire was under control by the time firefighters arrived.

Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the lightning appeared to have hit an eave on the side of the house.

Crews also responded to two reports of trees knocked down into roadways. One was on Buford Highway, near Old Suwanee Road in Buford, and the other was on Winder Highway, at Sweetgum Road in Lawrenceville.

Two downed trees also hit vehicles, Rutledge said — one on Burnt Creek Drive in Lilburn and one on Boggs Road in Duluth, at Meridian Pointe Apartments.

There were several reports of trees falling on buildings in Gwinnett.

On the 3600 block of West Lawrenceville Street in Duluth, crews found a large tree that fell on an older home. The tree caused extensive damage, Rutledge said. A family was at home at the time, but escaped unharmed, after hearing the tree falling and getting out of the house.

The family will be displaced from the home due to damage, Rutledge said.

Trees also fell on homes on the 640 block of Overlook Wood Way in Lawrenceville, the 2310 block of Whithead Place Drive in Suwanee and the 5340 block of Milieo Place in Lilburn. And electrical line also was knocked down at the Lilburn home.

The storms, which created a soggy Independence Day celebration for many in Gwinnett, downed multiple other power lines and other wires. They were reported on Renee Drive in Lilburn, West Main Street in Duluth, Berry Hall Road in Bethlehem, Roland Manor Drive in Dacula, Ace McMillian Road in Dacula and Pebble Creek Drive in Norcross.

No one was injured in any of the incidents, Rutledge said.

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