1 Hurt, 29 Displaced in Gwinnett County Apartment Fire

More than two dozen people were displaced, and one woman was taken to the hospital after a large Saturday morning apartment fire in Gwinnett County.

Gwinnett Fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the fire, reported around 10 a.m. at the Park Crossing Apartments near Lilburn, was apparently started by accident by a burning candle placed “too close to combustibles” in a ground-floor apartment.

In all, 12 units were damaged and 29 people were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross and apartment management worked together to assist those displaced.

Firefighters arrived at 10:07 a.m. to find the fire already burning several of the units, and flames breaking through the roof.

Residents were immediately evacuated. The fire was under control at 11:30 a.m.

The fire caused heavy damage to all three floors of the apartment building — eight units had fire damage, four units had smoke and water damage, Rutledge said.

Rutledge said the injured woman, who lived in the apartment where the fire started, tried to extuinguish the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but could not get it to operate correctly.

She was evaluated by paramedics for a minor injury and taken to Northside Hospital.

In the news release, Rutledge also included the following message:

According to firefighters, you should never place candles too close to combustible materials. Candles should never be left burning unattended and should be snuffed-out before going to sleep or when leaving the home. Keep a multi-purpose, portable fire extinguisher, close at hand. Know how to use the extinguisher to douse small fires before they spread.

For additional information on home fire safety and portable fire extinguisher use, please contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Division at 678.518.4845 or e-mail fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com.

(Photos: Gwinnett County PIO)