Updated: Police Officer, Neighbor Kept Fire From Spreading

Updated Friday, Sept. 23, 3 p.m.

A Friday morning fire at a Snellville-area home could’ve caused more damage if not for the actions of a police officer and a neighbor.

Gwinnett Fire spokesman Tommy Rutledge said a fire at a two-story home on the 4800 block of Bottle Brush Court was contained to the garage.

Update: The fire was ruled accidental. Investigators believe the fire may have been caused by discarded smoking materials.

A police officer who was responding to a burglar alarm at the home, apparently triggered by the fire, saw smoke coming from the garage and called the fire department. He and a neighbor (who is a family member of the owners, according to Rutledge) then used a garden hose to keep the flames at bay from outside of the garage.

Firefighters were dispatched at 7:39 a.m. and the fire was under control at 8:04 a.m., Rutledge said.

The fire caused heavy damage to the garage.

 “The quick actions of the police officer and the neighbor kept the fire from extending into the main part of the house,” Rutledge said in an email.

Nobody was at home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.