GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Crews were on the scene Saturday evening working to put out a fire at a Gwinnett County townhome building.
According to Brian Gaeth, a spokesperson with the Gwinnett County Fire Department, the fire happened at 4032 Oak Glenn Drive.
Gwinnett Fire said firefighters responded to the scene after a caller reported seeing flames on the back porch and side of the townhome.
That's when crews arrived and saw a four-unit townhome with heavy smoke and fire coming from its left side, Gwinnett Fire said.
Authorities said crews made their way to the second flor the unit where the fire was primarily coming from as part of an "aggressive interior attack" to the blaze. After firefighters were met with "intense heat," officials said they decided to back out and try to take down the flames from the outside of the townhome. They were later able to extinguish the fire with this approach.
Gwinnett Fire said two of those townhome units sustained heavy fire damage and the other two units had smoke damage.
A fire investigator later determined a charcoal grill on the porch started the fire. Officials said a resident told the fire department they were grilling earlier in the day and thought the fire was put out. That resident was not home when the blaze started.
Gaeth said no one was hurt in the blaze, and firefighters were able to remove two family pets from the apartment alive. They're still looking for one cat.
One dog that was removed from the building had to be treated on the scene with oxygen, but the pet is now back with its family, the fire department said.
"This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that all charcoal is fully extinguished with plenty of water prior to leaving a grill unattended," the fire department said in a statement.
