Man Jumps Out of Window to Escape Fire

Firefighters responded to a report of a house fire in the 4800 block of Riversound Drive at 12:16 a.m. on Tuesday. 

Crews arrived at the scene at 12:23 a.m. and found smoke coming from the back of a two-story wood frame house. They were met with an injured occupant of the home. 

The male occupant of the home was taking a shower when the fire began. He was alerted by the smoke alarm and tried to exit from the stairwell, but was unable to exit because of the smoke. He was forced to jump to safety from a second-story window above the garage. 

They immediately treated the injured man and began to battle the blaze. The fire was coming from a room in the basement, which they were able to extinguish. 

"The aggressive actions of the first-due companies kept the fire from spreading past the room of origin," said Gwinnett Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge in a press release. 

The fire was contained to the basement area, causing moderate damage, and sent significant smoke throughout the first and second floors.  

The exact cause of the fire is unknown. 

Firefighters suggest having a collapsible home fire escape ladder on the second floor.  The ladder should be used as a secondary means of escape from upper floors.  Every home should be equipped with working smoke alarms for early warning when a fire breaks out.  Have a home fire escape plan and know two ways out in case of fire.

For additional information on home fire safety, please contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Information & Education Section at 678.518.4845 or e-mail fireprograms@gwinnettcounty.com.