Accidental Fire Destroys Home Near Norcross

An accidental fire caused by a grilling mishap completely destroyed a residential home off Buford Highway on Tuesday.

Several people called authorities around 6:40 p.m. to report a fire on the 6200 block of Susan Lane near unincorporated Norcross, according to Gwinnett County Fire spokesman Eric Eberly.

Firefighters arrived at the one-story residential home to find heavy flames on the outside and through the roof. Authorities were alerted that a person was believed to be inside the home, so police battled a bulk of the fire and smoke from the outside until they were able to go inside and look for any victims.

No one had been found inside, according to Eberly, because the victim, James Gazaway, had left when he found the fire.

"He was evidently cooking on the screened-in porch outside the home prior to the fire, and he walked away from the cooking material for a bit," said Eberly. "It caught the house on fire, and then he got scared and left the scene."

"When I found the fire it was going up the wall [on the deck]," said Gazaway, adding that he heard a "big boom."

Gazaway had been living at the residence off and on while renovating the home, which was owned by his sister, Edna Schiller. The home had been their mother's and a part of their childhood.

"This is where we grew up, so we're emotional," said Schiller.

The fire department has determined that the home is a total loss, with extensive damage to the inside and outside.