GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A neighbor is being credited with helping a young woman escape a burning home after a lightning strike sparked a fire in Gwinnett County Saturday night.
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The fire started just before 10 p.m. in the attic of a home on Tower View Trail SW near Snellville. Investigators say a powerful lightning strike hit the house during a line of storms that passed through the area.
Zafer Momin said he was alerted when his neighbor banged on his door after calling the woman’s mother to make sure she got out safely. The young woman had no idea a fire was burning above her.
“He was a savior for her, at least,” Momin said. “He really helped to get her outside of the house.”
Gwinnett County Fire Captain Ryan McGiboney said lightning-related fires often start in the attic, which makes them especially dangerous.
“With lightning strikes, they tend to routinely start in the attic space,” McGiboney said. “We typically don’t put up smoke alarms or any type of monitoring device up there.”
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McGiboney said the crews arrived quickly, confirmed a working fire, and made sure everyone was out before containing the flames. No one was hurt.
“Every time we respond to a fire, it’s that everyone got out safely and there’s no injuries. It’s a blessing,” he said.
He urged families to have emergency plans and working smoke alarms and to stay alert during storms.
“We always recommend people to visit websites like ready.gov, putting together an emergency plan, testing and regularly checking your smoke alarm, CO alarms,” McGiboney said.
Momin said neighbors look out for one another like family, and he’s grateful this close call didn’t end in tragedy.
“We talk to each other, we try to help each other out,” he said.
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