Gwinnett County home explosion ends with death of teen in fire

A Gwinnett County home exploded Friday, sparking a fire that killed a special-needs teenager inside, according to several news organizations in the Atlanta area.

Firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 500 block of Rockmill Court at about 1:30 p.m., a Gwinnett County fire spokesman said, and they arrived to find two houses on fire. One man was pulled from his home and rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead; his identity has not been released.

WSB-TV reported that the man was in his basement when the fire began, and he was unable to escape the blaze. Firefighters pulled him out of a basement window shortly before the home collapsed, Gwinnett fire captain Tommy Rutledge said at the scene.

Gwinnett County home explosion:
11 people in house escaped

Eight children and three adults were able to make it out safely, and they could be seen grieving outside the burned down, split-level home after receiving the news that their relative didn’t survive.

The victim’s sister told WBS-TV she was able to grab four small children, the youngest of whom was 6 months old, and get them out of the house. She, however, was unable to save her brother, who she said had autism.

“First I see smoke — black smoke coming from the window – and as soon as I got out from my kids’ room to the hallway, I hear explosions everywhere all over the house,” said the woman, who requested anonymity. “We couldn’t save him. There was fire everywhere.”

Gwinnett County home explosion:
Gas company visited earlier

The family told the news station that an Atlanta Gas Light employee had inspected the home earlier in the day after someone in the house reported smelling gas. The natural gas company sent WBS-TV a statement that read, in part:

“We were notified of a fire at … Rockmill Court in Lawrenceville. We are assisting the local authorities with their investigation. We can confirm an Atlanta Gas Light employee was at the home earlier in the day and left the home in a safe condition.”

Gwinnett County home explosion:
Fire produced intense heat

The heat from the blaze was so intense it melted the bumpers off several cars parked outside the burning homes, WBS-TV reported.

Officials said the American Red Cross will provide the family with temporary assistance.

Gwinnett County home explosion:
Hard times for Atlanta area

Friday’s explosion was just the latest sad news for the Atlanta area. A Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Sheraton Atlanta hotel downtown has resulted in the death of one victim, 13 illnesses, and another 66 possible. The Sheraton Atlanta was just cleared to reopen on Friday.

A Gwinnett County home explosion Friday sparked a fire that killed a special-needs teenager inside, according to Atlanta-area news organizations. … In Garfield, NJ, later that same day, a gas explosion at a wedding reception sent three revelers to the hospital. All were in stable condition.

Wedding reception gas explosion
injures 3 in New Jersey

From ABC-7, New York: In an incident later in the day Friday, a gas explosion at a wedding reception injured three people in New Jersey. The incident occurred at the Venetian Catering Hall in Garfield, about 17 miles northwest of New York City.

Police said the DJ brought a carbon dioxide canister to use for special effects, and the canister burst without warning. Two men and a woman who were on the dance floor were injured; all were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where they were in stable condition.

The wedding reception was halted after the explosion. The Venetian did not sustain significant damage.

An investigation into the explosion is ongoing.