Woman dies after fire sweeps through house in Duluth

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials believe it was accidental and that it started on the covered back porch and spread to the roof.

A woman died Tuesday morning after a fire broke out at her Gwinnett County home and trapped her inside.

The woman’s caretaker and a man who lived at the two-story home both survived the blaze at the home on Whitney Park Drive in Duluth, officials said.

Firefighters were sent to the house just before 1 a.m., according to Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge. While en route, crews learned that a woman was still inside the structure and couldn’t get out.

Smoke and heavy flames were swirling out of the home when they arrived, Rutledge said.

“The two-story home (was) engulfed in flames on the back side,” Rutledge said. “There was heavy fire showing from the back.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials believe it was accidental and that it started on the covered back porch and spread to the roof.

The man and the caretaker were both outside of the house, but the woman was trapped inside a bedroom in the back of the home.

Firefighters entered the house and climbed up a stairwell, Rutledge said. They were immediately met with intense flames, scorching heat and dense smoke.

“They were able to use a hose line to push back the flames enough to get into that back bedroom to do a primary search,” Rutledge said. After battling the flames, firefighters found the woman and pulled her from the bedroom, he said.

She was taken to a hospital but died of her injuries. Her name was not released.