Woman Dies In Buford House Fire Wednesday Morning; 5 Escape House

BUFORD, GA — Investigators are determining the cause of a fatal house fire that began overnight Wednesday in the 100 block of Kennesaw St. NE in Buford.

Firefighters responding to a neighbor's report of a house fire arrived at the scene at 2:43 a.m. Wednesday, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said in a news release.

The neighbor believed someone was in the basement and was not sure whether she could get out, the news release said, and when firefighters reached the center of the house they had to stop advancing because the floor system had collapsed into the basement.

"To prevent significant injuries or loss of life to personnel, firefighters had to cease rescue efforts and focus exclusively on extinguishing the flames," the news release said.

The department confirmed in the news release that there was one fatality in the fire, and WSB-TV2 reported that family members said the victim was a mother of four. Four children and one adult female escaped the house safely, the news release said.

The North Gwinnett Voice reported that the mother was quarantined away from her family after testing positive for COVID-19, and that the children's father also has the virus and is on a ventilator at a local hospital.

Though the cause of the fire has not been determined, the Fire Investigator is not ruling out multiple power sources, the news release said, noting that the fire started in the basement.

"This incident serves as a good reminder for families to establish good fire safety habits," the news release said. "Firefighters encourage everyone to install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area."