Lightning sparks fire at Gwinnett County condos

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Firefighters in Gwinnett County have been busy with lightning-related fires over the past 48 hours, and said the latest blaze at a condo complex off Mateo Walk and New Hope Road had the worst damage. 

Two units were heavily damaged by flames and another by smoke, as firefighters said around 6 p.m., lightning struck a tree and the current possibly went through the ground and into the nearest building, causing the electrical units to blow as people were sitting inside. 

People went outside and saw flames on the outside of the building, then called 911. Firefighters were able to rescue two dogs from inside one of the units. One of the firefighters was injured while fighting the interior of the fire and hurt his ankle.  

"It has been a busy two days. We have experienced storms with ground to cloud lightning," said Captain Tommy Rutledge, who recommends getting lightning rods to deter damage to a home.