Candle Sparks Early Morning House Fire Near Lawrenceville

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – There were no injuries in an early morning house fire Dec. 23, when Gwinnett firefighters responded to a neighbor's report of a house fire in the 1300 block of Fairview Trail, NW in unincorporated Lawrenceville. The caller to 911 reported smoke and flames coming from the back of the house.

Crews arrived to find an active fire in the bedroom on the back-right corner of a single-story, wood-frame house on a crawlspace. Firefighters quickly deployed attack hose lines and immediately entered the home to control the flames and conduct a primary search. Crews made an aggressive interior attack on the fire and successfully contained it to the room of origin. The blaze caused heavy damage to the bedroom and sent extensive smoke and heat throughout the rest of the house.

“The blaze appears accidental and was sparked by a candle that was burning unattended on a nightstand in the bedroom. The candle is believed to have ignited nearby combustibles,” said Gwinnett Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge.

The occupants were home at the time and were already outside-safe when fire trucks arrived. The American Red Cross was contacted to assist two adults displaced by the damage.

According to fire officials, you should never leave candles burning unattended in the home. Be sure to blow candles out before leaving the room or when going to sleep. “Candles should be kept away from combustible materials like curtains, lampshades, bedding and other ignitable furnishings,” Rutledge said. Install working smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each of the bedrooms. Have a home escape plan and practice fire drills regularly.

Equipment deployed to the scene included: three engines, one ladder truck, one squad, one medic unit, one air and light unit and two battalion chiefs.

Stock photo courtesy of Gwinnett Fire