Firefighters Battle Bitter Cold at Norcross-Area House Fire

Gwinnett firefighters battled bitter cold at a Wednesday night house fire that erupted near the chimney.

No one was hurt in the blaze at the home in the 2400 block of Redfield Drive near Norcross, but a family of five was displaced and needed Red Cross assistance.

Firefighters arrived at 9:02 p.m., as temperatures were already plummeting well below freezing, Gwinnett Fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in a media release. Ice formed on the driveway as water seeped out of the house. The fire department’s REHAB Unit (Special Response Unit) was called to the scene to provide a warm place for fire crews to rest and rehydrate, Rutledge said.

“Our goal is to allow the firefighters to rotate-out and spend time inside the SRU/Rehab Unit to get out of the cold and replenish fluids,” he said.

The fire was ruled accidental. Rutledge said the family was burning a fire in the fireplace when the blaze erupted and spread in the wall around the chimney. The family was alerted to the fire by the smell of smoke and the smoke alarm sounding.

“Firefighters did a great job of stopping the forward progress of the fire and kept it from spreading throughout the house,” Rutledge said. “The fire was contained to the chimney and wall surrounding the fireplace.”

(Photos courtesy of Gwinnett Fire PIO)