Crime & Safety

Severe Storm Keeps Gwinnett Firefighters Busy

A house fire in Lawrenceville, downed electrical wires and trees on houses and driveways reported.

Severe thunderstorms packing vivid lightning and gusty winds kept Gwinnett County firefighters busy responding to storm related incidents overnight Monday. A Gwinnett Fire/Emergency Services spokesman reported that firefighters responded to a total of 87 emergency incidents between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters also were called to a house fire in Lawrenceville about 3:30 a.m. apparently caused by a lightning strike.

There were numerous reports of live electrical wires and trees down due to the windy conditions, according to Lt. Tommy Rutledge. Other incidents included alarm calls, woods fires, vehicle accidents, and citizen assist calls. 

No storm related injuries or deaths have been reported to the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Rutledge said. 

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fire officials monitored weather conditions throughout the day and implemented its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) as the storm began to impact the county, he said. 

Firefighters quickly brought the fire in the house in the 2100 block of Turtle Creek Way NE in Lawrenceville under control.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On arrival, fire crews found flames and smoke showing from a gable on the roof of the two-story wood frame house. The fire burned in a front-exterior wall and in the attic. Firefighters made an aggressive interior attack and kept the flames from spreading throughout the rest of the structure. There were no injuries reported, Rutledge said.

There were several reports of trees that fell on houses, causing some degree of damage to the structure. Fire crews checked the residences and secured utilities where needed.  There were no injuries reported as a result of the downed trees. he said.

Locations of the downed trees included:

  • 153 Gloster Road, SW in Lawrenceville
  • 5591 Brady Drive, SW in Stone Mountain
  • 5341 Miller Road, SW in Lilburn
  • 2263 Meadow Drive, SW in Snellville
  • 185 Killian Hill Road, NW in Lilburn
  • 3863 Princess Court, NW in Lawrenceville
  • 264 Windsor Drive, NW in Lawrenceville   
  • 5156 Clearwater Drive, SW in Stone Mountain
  • 1462 Fox Forest Terrace, SW in Lilburn
  • 4033 Scenic Mountain Drive, SW in Snellville
  • 3541 Smoke Rise Way, SW in Lawrenceville
  • 2555 Lakemeadow Lane, SW in Grayson
  • 5682 Crestwood Drive, SW in Stone Mountain
  • 1836 Lake Lucerne Road, SW in Lilburn

Firefighters responded to two reports of possible house fires due to lightning, but there was no visible sign of smoke or fire showing on arrival. Fire Crews checked, but found no significant damage to either structure, he said. The fire calls were located at:

  • 2501 Crumps Landing Circle, SW in Snellville
  • 3659 Cecilia Way, SW in Loganville 

There were numerous reports of wires down or trees down blocking the roadway at various locations within the county.  Below is a brief listing:

  • High Point Road in Snellville
  • Bethesda Church Road in Lawrenceville
  • Killian Hill Road in Lilburn
  • Rosebud Road in Grayson
  • Alcovy Road in Dacula
  • Kensington High Street in Lilburn
  • Litchfield Road in Snellville
  • Blue Springs Court in Lilburn
  • Ridgewood Drive in Lilburn
  • Saddle Court in Norcross
  • Rockbridge Road in Norcross
  • Bramlett Shoals Road in Lawrenceville
  • Pleasantdale Road in Doraville
  • Norwood Drive in Lilburn
  • Lenora Church Road in Snellville
  • Johnson Drive in Snellville
  • Gala Trail in Snellville
  • Lucelle Avenue in Stone Mountain
  • Pucketts Drive in Stone Mountain
  • Buford Drive in Lawrenceville
  • Riverside Drive in Lilburn
  • Fairfield Drive in Lilburn
  • Sweet Shrub Circle in Lawrenceville
  • Burns Road in Lilburn
  • Rotondo Place in Norcross
  • Veracruz Drive in Snellville
  • Shunn Way in Lilburn
  • Centennial Trail in Duluth


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.