Crime & Safety

Early-Morning Fire Destroys Lawrenceville Home

Several pets were killed in the fire on Morningside Drive, but the occupants escaped with only minor complaints.

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- A family’s home in Lawrenceville was destroyed and their pets killed Friday morning in a fire.

Gwinnett County firefighters responded shortly before 4 a.m. to a report of a house fire in the 500 block of Morningside Drive NE in Lawrenceville.

The found the home, a single-story brick house, and a vehicle in the driveway both engulfed in flames when they got there. Heat from the fire melted the siding on a neighboring house and the original home and vehicle were both a total loss.

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The homeowner and her roommate were both home at the time of the fire. According to a news release from Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services, one of them was awake at the time and heard a loud popping sound. She discovered flames coming from the kitchen area.

The woman who was awake alerted the other and they both escaped, with one of them being treated at the scene for a minor medical complaint due to smoke exposure. Several pets, both cats and dogs, did not survive, according to fire officials.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Investigators say the blaze appears to have been accidental, possibly related to an electrical cord. The occupants told firefighters the smoke alarm was not working due to a missing battery.

(Photos courtesy Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services)

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