Overnight house fire in Gwinnett County results in fatality

Gwinnett County firefighters responded to a house fire overnight that resulted in the death of one occupant. Crews were dispatched to the fire on Whitney Park Drive, NW in Duluth in the early morning hours of March 2, arriving at 12:54 a.m. to find heavy flames and smoke showing from a two-story house.

“Initial reports of an elderly female trapped inside were confirmed. The first-due engine company was met with an elderly male and a caretaker outside when they arrived. Flames were intense as firefighters entered the house in an attempt to rescue the trapped victim from a back bedroom. The woman was removed from the upstairs bedroom during the primary search and was transported to the hospital with injuries conducive to the fire,” Firefighter Capt. Tommy Rutledge, public information officer with Gwinnett County Fire Rescue said in a press release.

Rutledge said the woman succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. The caretaker was evaluated and released at the scene by paramedics. No other injuries were reported. The blaze caused heavy fire damage to the home and contents. The name of the person who died in the fire has not been released due to HIPAA federal patient privacy laws. 

The exact cause of the fire is not known and is under active investigation.