Storm Damage: Possible Lightning Strikes in Dacula, Elsewhere

Gwinnett County fire crews were kept busy by emergency calls during Tuesday evening’s strong storms that moved through the area.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said 98 emergency calls were made between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

“While fire crews appeared to be extremely busy, there were no major reports of damage and no injuries were reported due to the storms,” Rutledge said in a storm activity response report.

Here’s a synopsis of the most significant reports from Gwinnett Fire:

POSSIBLE HOUSE FIRES REPORTED

There were a number of possible house fires reported due to lightning. The majority of responses were either good intent calls, or were incidents that resulted in only minimal damage. There no actual “working fires” and no major damage was reported. There were no injuries as a result of the weather.

• 400 block of Flint Hill Court, NW in Lawrenceville. Firefighters found evidence of a small fire on the exterior wall on the “Bravo” side. The fire was already out on arrival. Firefighters found no extension and no visible smoke or fire on the interior of the home. There was no major damage and no injuries reported. The fire was caused by a lightning strike.

• 4000 block of Amberfield Circle, NW in Peachtree Corners. Firefighters found light smoke showing from the back of the house on arrival. It appears that lightning hit and ran inside the house via an exterior wall. The homeowner used a garden hose to keep the fire at bay until the fire department arrived. The fire caused minor damage. There were no injuries reported.

• 900 block of Leighs Brook Way, SE in Dacula. Firefighters found a smoldering fire behind the kitchen stove on arrival. The fire caused minor damage to the wall and cabinets. It appears that lightning struck the gas line and ran inside the kitchen wall behind the gas stove appliance. The homeowner doused the fire with a portable dry-chemical extinguisher prior to FD’s arrival. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

• 900 block of Connell Lane, SW in Lawrenceville. Firefighters found no sign of smoke or fire showing from a two-story house on arrival. There was evidence of a lightning strike to the side of the home that blew-out a piece of siding material. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

• 600 block of Country Grove Lane, NE in Auburn. Firefighters found a small fire in an exterior electrical outlet on the side of the house on arrival. The fire was already out when crews arrived and was contained to the outlet and surrounding wall. It appears that either lightning or excessive rain water shorted out the electrical components. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

• 400 William Ivey Road, SW in Lilburn. Firefighters found no sign of smoke or fire on arrival. Further investigation revealed that lightning struck between two houses and ignited a tree. The fire was doused by the rain prior to FD’s arrival. The fire was contained to the smoldering tree. There was no damage to nearby structures and no injuries were reported.

• 1400 block of New Hope Road, SE in Lawrenceville. Firefighters found residual smoke in the basement from a small fire contained to a television set. The fire was already out on arrival and damage was contained to the TV. It appears that lightning struck the TV and sparked a minor fire. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

• 400 block of Easley Drive, SE in Lawrenceville. Firefighters found no sign of smoke or fire from the house on arrival. Crews checked the attic and found no evidence of a lightning strike. The homeowner called 9-1-1 to report possible smoke in the attic during a strong storm. The smoke dissipated prior to FD’s arrival and no source was found. It is possible that lightning struck nearby and caused the power to blink. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

• 1100 block of Ivey Chase Place, NE in Dacula. Firefighters found an outside electrical outlet on the back deck that shorted out. It is unknown whether lightning or excessive rain water was a contributing factor. There was no major damage and no injuries were reported.

Fire personnel also responded to a smoke odor inside a residence, a few reports of downed power lines, vehicle accidents, a natural gas leak outside, grass fires, and fire alarms activated.