Names of the five killed in massive house fire near Duluth released

DULUTH, GA — Gwinnett County fire officials said the fire that killed five people in Duluth early Sunday moing was so intense that they spent 45 minutes fighting the fire from the outsid.

The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner has release the names of the victim. Kimberly Lewis, 45, David Waring, 45, Kelley Tomkinson, 47, Edward Cameron Brown, 21, and Danielle Waring, 19, all died of smoke and soot inhalation.

A neighbor called 911 to report the fire just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday. By the time authorities arrived on the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames. 

Firefighters initially found three bodies inside the bued structure.

Neighbors and family member told them that at least two more people were unaccounted for inside the home, but because of the potential of instability inside the bued out house, firefighters couldn't confirm that initially. Once they stabilized the structure, they found the remaining two bodies.

Fire investigators and police detectives are conducting a joint investigation into the cause and origin of the fire.

Neighbors saw the family using the fire pit attached to their back porch hours before the fire.  Based on where the house received the most damage, they believe the fire pit may have not been properly extinguished or rekindled oveight.