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Woman saves children from burning mobile home
Second blaze displaces 7 people
0329BRFfire
Smoke pours out of a house Friday afternoon next door to Checkers on Jesse Jewell Parkway in Gainesville. Seven people who were living in the boarding house, though they were not home at the time of the fire, have been displaced. - photo by BELINDA CALHOUN
A woman rescued two children from her burning mobile home Friday afternoon, braving heavy smoke to pull them from harm, Hall County fire officials said.

The woman was in the yard of 103 Second St. when she noticed smoke coming from the windows of the 12-foot-by-60-foot mobile home about 2 p.m. Friday, Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell said.

The woman went into the home and grabbed two 3-year-old boys; one was her son, the other a neighbor’s child, Kimbrell said. They were believed to be playing in a bedroom.

The woman had soot around her mouth and nose but was talking and alert when firefighters arrived. She was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center as a precaution. The two children were not injured. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the mobile home.

Fire officials said they struggled with a language barrier when talking with the woman, a Hispanic woman in her mid-30s, and were unable to get her name.

The cause of the fire, which started in a back bedroom, is under investigation.

An earlier, unrelated fire snarled traffic on busy Jesse Jewell Parkway and displaced seven people living in the boarding house.

Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said firefighters responded to the 1,600 square foot brick and wood-frame house at the corner of Dorsey Street and Jesse Jewell Parkway about 12:15 p.m. Heavy flames and smoke were coming from both ends of the building, which is next door to the Checkers drive-through restaurant.

Firefighters knocked the fire down quickly, Canada said. No one was inside at the time and there were no injuries.

The fire prompted officials to close Jesse Jewell from Queen City Parkway to Auburn Avenue until shortly after 1 p.m.

About half of the house was damaged by flames and there was heavy smoke and water damage throughout, Canada said. The estimated value of damage was $80,000. The fire was caused by an electrical short in the house, Canada said.

Seven residents were displaced by the fire. The owner of the boarding house was assisting them with living arrangements, Canada said.

Friday’s two fires were the sixth and seventh in Gainesville and Hall County in two days. None appear to be connected and none have resulted in serious injuries.