Family Pet Dies in Buford Electrical Fire

BUFORD, GA - A Buford family's dog died in a fire late Friday night following a blaze that fire officials believe was electrical.

Trucks responded at 11:18pm Dec. 20, to a neighbor’s 911 call that a house was on fire in the 300 block of W. Moreno Street NE in downtown Buford.

The caller said the home was under construction and that flames and smoke were coming from windows on the front and back.

Within minutes firefighters arrived and began fighting the fire from outside. They learned that no one was home but the family's dog was nowhere to be found.

Once inside, crews began extinguishing a hidden fire in the attic. They eventually found the dog who was deceased. Hot spots throughout the home were completely extinguished as smoke cleared from the home with natural ventilation.

The interior of the one-story home sustained heavy fire damage including a partial collapse of the floor into the crawl space. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries.

The fire originated near the center of the home and the cause appears to be electrical, fire officials said.

According to a neighbor, the family's adult son lives at the home. A person nearby made contact with him prior to firefighter’s arrival to make sure he was not home.

The family was provided information for the American Red Cross if needed.

Firefighters encourage all residents to practice home fire safety. Be sure to install working smoke alarms on every level of the home and in each bedroom. Develop a home escape plan and practice fire drills regularly.

Check and maintain home heating appliances such as the furnace, fireplace and space heater. For additional information on home fire safety, please contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Division at 678-518-4845 or email fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com.