Five Stranded On Chattahoochee During Storms

PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA — Five people who were rafting without life jackets got stranded on the Chattahoochee River during Friday night's thunderstorms, requiring a rescue operation by Gwinnett County emergency crews.

It was just one of a host of calls Gwinnett firefighters responded to Friday evening, as strong storms ripped through the area.

Crews responded at 8:54 p.m. to a report of five people stranded on logs in the river between Abbotts Bridge and Rogers Bridge. The group was reportedly rafting on the river without life jackets, Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.

Rescue teams from Gwinnett and Johns Creek began searching the river. A Gwinnett boat was able to find the group and carried them to safety at Rogers Bridge. No injuries were reported.

The rescue happened on a busy night for emergency crews.

At 9:32 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire at the Armada Inn, at 5985 Oakbrook Pkwy. in Norcros.

Firefighters saw nothing from outside, but discovered a small, smoldering fire on the third floor of the building once they were inside. No one was in the hotel room where the fire was discovered.

The building was evacuated until firefighters declared the situation under control.

At 9:14 p.m., firefighters responded to a report of a tree down on a house in the 2100 block of Canterbury Court in Lawrenceville. The tree had been knocked down on the home's master bedroom, but no injuries were reported.

Wind and lightning from the evening storms led to lots more calls for firefighters. Those calls included:

• Wires Down, Shadburn Ferry Road, Buford
• Wires Down, Lakeshore Drive, Duluth
• Wires Down, Joseph Way, Norcross
• Wires Down, River Club Drive, Lilburn
• Smoke Odor Residence, Brookside Oak Circle, Norcross
• House Fire, Ecarte Court, (No fire found)
• House Fire, Rolling Meadows Drive, Loganville (No fire found)
• Woods fire, Stoneview Apartments, Lilburn
• Woods fire, Cruse Road, Lawrenceville
• Fire Alarm Apartment, Indian Trail, Lilburn
• Fire Alarm Business, Satellite Boulevard, Suwanee
• Fire Alarm Hotel, Celebration Drive, Suwanee
• Tree Down on House, Warners Trail, Norcross

File photo courtesy Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services