Tybee Island city engineer’s home, family pet lost in house fire

by WTOC Staff, Julianne Sheehan, Megan Leroy

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - [UPDATE 11:30 P.M.] Two families were displaced and one dog died after a fire tore through a duplex on Jones Avenue on Sunday.

No residents or firefighters were hurt, but both homes are a total loss.

Witnesses reported an explosion and saw flames shooting from the house, said Mayor Brian West.

Smoke blanketed parts of Tybee Island. Patrick Myett was at the beach when the fire broke out and came home to find the scene across the street from where he is staying.

“Big black clouds of smoke, you could see it for miles, and it went on for, you know, thirty minutes to an hour,” Myett said.

Fire spreads quickly

The fire started in the right unit of the two-family home just after 1 p.m. Sunday. Flames quickly spread to the left side.

West described the flames as aggressive.

“Especially on the right side, I’m pretty sure most of that is gone. Anything that might be left on the left side is going to be extremely smoke damaged, so I doubt there’s much left,” West said.

Tybee Island Fire Department arrived three minutes after the call came in. Crews fought the flames for over three hours.

After a partial roof collapse, firefighters were instructed to stay outside. Tybee fire and police teamed with Chatham County Fire and EMS to contain the fire.

“We have a great chief in here now, we have a great team, they got over here quickly, they’ve been working really hard, um, Chatham Fire also came out,” West said.

Families lose pets

One of the residents affected is Pete Gulbronson, the city engineer. He and his wife were not home at the time, but the family dog died in the fire.

The owner of the left unit said he saw smoke and ran out immediately. One of his dogs slipped out the back door into the marsh and is still missing.

Neighbors are helping to buy clothes and food and search for the dog.

“We’re kind of a small community here on Tybee, we know each other, everybody knows who these families are, and we’re going to take care of each other and help them get back on their feet as quickly as we can,” West said.

State investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

[UPDATE 9:30 P.M.] The City of Tybee Island said fire crews with a ladder truck, fire engine, and five personnel arrived at the duplex on Jones Avenue 50% involved in fire just after 1:20 p.m. on Sunday.

They reported the duplex was owned by Pete and Laurie Gulbronson and Bruce and Heike Simpson. Pete Gulbronson serves as the City of Tybee Island’s City Engineer.

“The City of Tybee Island extends its heartfelt thoughts and support to the Gulbronson and Simpson families as they begin the difficult process of recovery. We are also deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency responders, law enforcement officers, and support personnel whose swift actions and professionalism helped bring this incident under control,” they wrote.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

[UPDATE 5:54 P.M.] Two units are complete losses from a house fire on Jones Street on Tybee Island.

Tybee Island Mayor Brian West said a city engineer and his wife were not home when the fire broke out at around 1 p.m. Their pet dog, however, was home and had passed away.

A person who lives in the other unit told a WTOC crew that he was home at the time, saw smoke, and rushed outside to safety. His pet dog is missing at this time, and community members are actively searching for it.

“We have neighbors that have already gone out to shopping for those people to help them find clothes, help them have food for the next few days, and so we’re kind of a small community here on Tybee, we know each other, everyone knows who these families are, and we’re going to take care of each other and help them get back on their feet as quickly as we can,” West said.

The Tybee Island fire and police departments, alongside the Chatham County fire and EMS units, responded to an explosion call. They cleared the scene about three hours later.

They said the right side of the two-family home was engulfed in flames that then spread quickly to the left-side unit.

The roof collapsed, and fire crews were told not to go inside just after 4 p.m. due to it being structurally unsafe.

State fire investigators have been contacted to determine the cause.

Tybee Island house fire on Sunday, June 7

[ORIGINAL STORY] A family pet was lost in a house fire on Tybee Island on Sunday afternoon and the fire chief told WTOC it is now structurally unsafe.

Tybee Island Mayor Brian West told WTOC that a city engineer and his wife were not home when it broke out at around 1 p.m.

West said the building has two separate units and Tybee Island Fire Chief Justin McMillian told WTOC they will not be sending anyone else in just before 4 p.m. because it is structurally unsafe.