GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga — Two Gwinnett County families didn’t properly extinguish their Fourth of July fireworks, causing overnight house fires, according to authorities.
According to the Gwinnett County Fire Department, in both cases, people who lived at the homes thought fireworks debris was extinguished and put it outside to be thrown away later.
In the first incident, at 12:40 a.m., fire officials responded to a neighbor’s report of a house fire in Buford.
The family told firefighters they were shooting fireworks, but when it started raining, they threw all trash from the fireworks into a plastic trashcan and put it outside of the house. Some of the debris was not fully extinguished, allowing the fire to develop and spread up the side of the house.
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Just a few minutes later, at 12:52 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a similar house fire in Snellville.
Firefighters determined the fire started outside the home due to debris from discarded fireworks.
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Gwinnett fire officials emphasized the importance of soaking discharged fireworks in water before putting them in the trash in a Tuesday release.
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