Update: Candle likely cause of fire that injures 3 in Loganville area house fire

Update

Officials with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services report that a house fire in the unincorporated Gwinnett County are of Loganville Tuesday night appears to have been accidentally caused by a candle that was burning in a front room. According to Firefighter Donald Strother public information officer at GCFER. Crews responded to the fire at the 3700 block of Pine Village Place SE in unincorporated Loganville. The caller to 9-1-1 reported that a fire was coming from the front door of her house and that an occupant was stuck upstairs. Crews were dispatched at 8:46 p.m. on Dec. 4.

“Crews arrived on scene to find a two-story, single family, wood-framed structure on a slab with light smoke showing from the back of the house. Per the Incident Commander, there were three adult victims at the residence. Two victims were outside of the house advising that a third victim was trapped on the second floor,” Strothers said in a Press release. “Firefighters immediately went into an offensive mode with rescue being their priority.  One crew assisted a victim that was in the process of evacuation on the first floor.  A second crew deployed a ground ladder to rescue the third victim who was hanging out of the second-story window located on the back side of the house. Once the third arriving crew got on scene, the fire attack was made through the front door of the residence.  Firefighters were met with heavy fire but were able to get it knocked down within six minutes of their arrival.”

Strothers reported extensive damage throughout the entire house, most notably close to the front door.  All patients were transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation but their injuries appear to be non-life threatening. During the primary and secondary searches, firefighters were able to rescue two kittens.

The fire investigator reported that the blaze appears to have been accidentally caused by a candle

According to the Fire Investigator, the blaze appears to be accidentally caused by a candle that was burning in the front room. Strothers encouraged residents to keep their home and family safe by following simple fire safety rules. These include:

• Install working smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each of the bedrooms.
• Develop a home fire escape plan and practice fire drills regularly.
• Have a collapsible fire escape ladder.
• Keep a portable fire extinguisher close at hand to douse a small fire.
• Never leave candles burning unattended and extinguish them before going to bed or leaving the home.

Initial story

Firefighters from Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Rescue reported at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, Dec. 4, 2018, that crews were currently on the scene of a house fire in the 3700 block of Pine Village Place, SE in unincorporated Loganville.

“Crews found a working fire on arrival. Three occupants of the home were transported by ambulance to the hospital due to exposure to the smoke. One of the occupants was trapped on the second floor and was rescued by firefighters via a ground ladder to the back window.  The other two occupants were already outside when fire trucks arrived. All injuries appeared to be non-life threatening,” Capt. Tommy Rutledge with GCFER said in a press release.

The fire is now out and caused extensive damage inside the home, according to Rutledge. The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and is under investigation.