Gas Station Evacuated During Fire

LILBURN, GA – Customers and employees evacuated a Food Mart Gas Station in the 127 block of Arcado Road in SW Lilburn Wednesday, due to a fire that caused extensive damage to the building, according to the Gwinnett Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

At approximately 5:08 p.m., crews arrived to find a fire burning in the cornice and attic on the front-left corner of a single-story commercial gas station. The store clerk and patrons were already outside-safe when fire trucks arrived and no injuries were reported. Firefighters quickly deployed attack hose lines and made immediate entry to extinguish the fire and conduct a primary search. The blaze caused extensive damage to the cornice and attic over part of the structure. Firefighters had to pull the majority of the ceiling material inside the store to stop the spread of the fire and check for hidden fire.

The clerk was alerted to the fire by a customer who ran inside after seeing flames and smoke coming from the side of the building. There was no immediate threat or damage to the nearby gas pumps.

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Lilburn — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)The fire appears accidental and started in the attic area at the corner of the building, according to fire officials Fire investigators believe the cause to be electrical in nature.

Equipment on the scene included: five engines, two ladder trucks, one squad, one hazmat unit, one air and light unit, one rehab unit, two medic units, two battalion chiefs, one district chief, and two fire investigators.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett Fire Department