Ringing Doorbell Alerts Sleeping Couple in Gwinnett Fire

A couple escaped an early morning house fire in Gwinnett County after the husband was awakened by the doorbell ringing.

The couple was asleep in their home on Calvin Drive in Duluth, when the doorbell rang sometime after 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. When the man started for the door, he found smoke in the upstairs of the house and called the fire department at 2:49 a.m.

“The doorbell is believed to have sounded due to fire burning the wiring,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in an email. The smoke alarms sounded after the man had awakened.

The fire, which started in a screened-in porch on the backside of the house and spread to the attic, caused significant damage inside the home. The fire was brought under control at 3:11 a.m.

The cause is undetermined, but believed to be accidental.

No injuries were reported. The family was displaced by the fire, but did not require Red Cross assistance.

Photo: Gwinnett Fire PIO