Gwinnett County total loss house fire prompts reminder for fireplace maintenance
Everything destroyed by fireplace fire
A single mom and her two kids are out of a home after the house they were renting in Lawrenceville burned up in a fire Wednesday.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A single mom and her two kids are out of a home after the house they were renting in Lawrenceville burned up in a fire Wednesday.
Now, she’s warning others not to neglect their fireplaces and chimneys.
The backstory:
When Safeeyah Ford woke up Wednesday morning, the ground outside her Lawrenceville home was still covered in snow and ice.
So, naturally, she lit her fireplace, like she’d done many times already this winter.
"I went to the kitchen to make a glass of tea. And when I walked back in the room, it took all of maybe about seven or eight minutes – not long at all – I walked back in the room, and the fire was escaping the seams of the fireplace," Ford said.
At first, she and her son tried to put it out with water.
When that didn’t work, they called 911 and started to gather some items to evacuate.
Then, Ford heard the fire spreading to the attic above her.
"I quickly realized we need to get out of here," she said.
They evacuated and firefighters put it out.
Safeeyah Ford and her children are out of a home after a fire in their fireplace spread through the chimney to their attic and burned the house down.
But a few hours later, a hotspot reignited.
Ford’s next door neighbor called to say flames were pouring out of the home, and she rushed back to the house.
"It was horrific to be here in person and seeing it, it was crazy," she said.
All of her and her two sons’ possessions were inside.
"Everything. All my electronics, all my important documents, clothes, shoes, the kids’ bookbags and clothes," Ford said.
How fireplace, chimney fire started
What we know:
A Public Information Officer for Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services told FOX 5 Atlanta, "firefighters at the scene found the fire in the fireplace had escaped the firebox, ran the chimney chase, and extended into the attic."
The fire caused part of the roof to cave in.
Do fireplaces need routine maintenance?
Why you should care:
Gwinnett Fire told FOX 5 Atlanta it recommends everyone get their fireplace inspected annually to make sure it’s clean and operating safely.
Ford says she didn’t realize how important that was.
"Because this is my first house, I didn't know or think I would need anybody to come out and inspect anything because I used it before. I never had a problem. I would have never thought that this would happen," she said.
As we continue to see below freezing temperatures in metro Atlanta, Ford wants people to be aware of the danger and not neglect their fireplaces and chimneys.
"Don't take it for granted. Get it checked out," she said.
What they're saying:
"As always, we encourage everyone to practice safe fireplace usage by keeping the fire at a reasonable temperature, using the recommended number of fireplace logs for starting the fire and getting the fireplace inspected once a year by a professional to ensure correct maintenance and cleanliness of the chimney," said a Gwinnett County Fire spokesperson.
How to help the Ford family
What you can do:
Unfortunately, Ford says she’d recently fallen on hard times and let her renter’s insurance lapse.
So, they’ve essentially lost all their possessions.
She started a Gofundme campaign to help her family start over.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services and by interviews conducted by FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Eric Mock.