Lightning from Thursday’s storms caused a fire in a home on Rosebud Road in the Snellville area of unincorporated Gwinnett County. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services reported that crews responded to the fire at about 7 p.m. on June 22, 2017.
“Crews arrived to find active flames in the attic of a one-story, wood-frame house on a crawl space. The home was situated well-off the roadway. A teenage occupant was home at the time and advised lightning struck the house,” Capt. Tommy Rutledge, spokesperson for GCFES said in a press release. “The teen discovered smoke in the bonus room and fire in the attic. He got the pets out of the house and escaped unharmed.”
Rutledge said no injuries were reported, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the attic and smoke and water damage in the main-living space.
“Flames broke through the roof around the dormer before being brought under control. Firefighters removed two dogs from the house. All are ok,” Rutledge said. “There was a storm moving through the area at the time of the fire. The occupants will be displaced by the damage.”
Next week, from June 26 – 30, is “Lightning Awareness Week” in Georgia. According to officials from Ready Georgia, since 2007, lightning has caused 305 deaths in the United States and in Georgia, it’s one of the most common weather-related killers, on average, killing one to two people every year. To try to prevent this, Ready Georgia has put out a public safety advisory warning of the dangers and giving advice on what to do during a lightning storm. Tap or click on this link for the information.
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