Home Destroyed in Norcross Fire

NORCROSS, GA -- Firefighters were continuing Tuesday to investigate the cause of a house fire that destroyed a Norcross home on Monday.

Fire officials said arson is not suspected in the blaze, which was reported at 3:52 p.m. Monday in the 5600 block of Brooklyn Lane NW in unincorporated Norcross.

The fire originated in a back bedroom, Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services said Tuesday morning in a news release, and spread first to the attic, then to the rest of the house.

There was no one home at the time of the fire an no injuries were reported, although fire officials said two cats were unaccounted for Monday afternoon.

Flames were so intense from the blaze, which was reported by a neighbor, that fire crews initially had to fight it from outside before entering the home.

A man who lived alone at the residence arrived at the scene as firefighters were working to control the fire Monday. He declined Red Cross assistance, saying he would stay with friends and family in the area, according to the news release.