A fire burned three Dawson County homes and damaged two others early Thursday, and officials have determined a Fourth of July celebration played a role in the blaze.
“The fire has been ruled accidental,” said Glenn Allen, spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office. “The cause of the fire was the improper discarding of fireworks. The homeowner placed the fireworks in a trash can outside of his house.”
Dawson County authorities were called to the scene of the fire on Burt’s Crossing Drive around 12:15 a.m. Thursday. By the time firefighters arrived five minutes later, three homes were “well-involved in fire,” Dawson fire Chief Danny Thompson told AJC.com.
“Additional alarms were called in, along with mutual aid response from Forsyth County,” Thompson said.
Three families, about 11 people in all, had safely evacuated before fire crews arrived. There were no injuries to residents or firefighters, Thompson said.
Georgia Fire Marshal's Office
Georgia Fire Marshal's Office
Crews focused their initial efforts on making sure the blaze did not spread to nearby structures or additional houses. Two nearby homes sustained heat damage, but Thompson said they are still livable.
By 5 a.m., firefighters left the scene.
The Red Cross has been called in to assist the displaced families.
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