Older Man Trapped Inside Burning Home Rescued In Norcross

NORCROSS, GA — An older man and his daughter were hospitalized following a Riva Ridge Drive house fire Saturday in Norcross, according to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services.

Firefighters responded to the fire around 6 a.m. after a 911 caller told dispatch that her father was trapped inside the burning home, fire officials said. The caller was a woman who had escaped the home prior to the arrival of firefighters, they said.

When crews conducted a walk-around at the home, fire officials said they found the woman who told them her father was still inside the house.

Fire officials said they were faced with the safety concern of security bars on all windows and doors on the side of the house.

Crews ultimately entered the home through a front window and began searching for the older man, who was found unresponsive near a bedroom window, fire officials said.

Search teams were able to carry the man out of the house and get him to an awaiting medical team, fire officials said. Aid was rendered, and the man was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

The woman was later taken to Northside Gwinnett Medical Center for a medical complaint that was not life threatening, fire officials said. It was not immediately clear if her injuries were related to the blaze.

They determined the fire was accidental and was ignited from discarded cigarette smoking materials, fire officials said. The blaze originated in a bedroom and went into an attic, fire officials said.

No one else was found inside the home, and there were no other reported injuries. The woman and her father were displaced, fire officials said.

"Firefighters want to encourage everyone to practice home fire safety, which includes having a home escape plan. The National Fire Protection Association recommends (NFPA) that security bars on windows and doors be equipped with quick-release devices. While practicing your home escape plan, ensure that everyone in the house can open the doors and windows," fire officials said in a news release.