As flames engulfed a Gwinnett County home Saturday night, neighbors said they saw someone running through their yard “after obviously setting the home on fire using gas cans,” authorities said.
According to Gwinnett fire officials, that someone is the grandson of the people who lived in the burned house. The neighbor quickly intercepted him as he jumped a fence and detained him until police arrived, the fire department said.
Only one person had a minor medical complaint, which did not require hospitalization.
The suspect’s name and age have not been released, and officials have not specified what charges are pending.
Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services
Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services
Firefighters were called to the home in the 3000 block of Iron Gate Court not far from Lawrenceville just before 9 p.m. and found heavy flames coming from the garage and the back of the house, authorities said. Photos showed a column of fire billowing from the garage area.
By the time crews arrived, three adults had already evacuated thanks to their neighbors, who alerted them to the flames, officials said.
The home had no working fire alarms, and there was extensive fire damage throughout the structure, according to the fire department.
Investigators later determined that the fire “originated on the ground level in the back corner room,” authorities said. The cause has been ruled as an intentionally set fire.
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