Man Missing on Lake Lanier Presumed "Deceased"

DNR officials say they are in recovery mode as they continue to search Lake Lanier for a 47-year-old man "presumed deceased."

Entries Sought for Fire Safety Poster Contest

Parents your third grade children are encouraged to submit their own original designs and artwork.

Forsyth County third grade students are invited to showcase their artistic talents to promote fire safety by entering the third annual Fire Safety Poster Contest. “We have had a great response in the first two years of holding the Fire Safety Poster Contest,” Division Chief Jason Shivers said. “We look forward to hopefully receiving even more poster entries this year.” The contest is open to all third grade students in Forsyth County public and private schools and home-schooled students. Three winners will enjoy a pizza party with their class and local firefighters. The three winners and three runners up will have the honor of having their artwork displayed in county buildings. Chief Bowman said the contest is a great way to increase …

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Fire Guts Forsyth Home

A family escapes without injury while a raging fire destroys their 10,500 square foot home.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of a fire early Monday morning that destroyed a home in unincorporated Forsyth County, authorities said. Firefighters were called to 2495 Belle Patrice Drive just before 1:30 a.m. to find a family evacuating their multiple-story home that was engulfed by a raging fire. Division Chief Jason Shivers said all members of the family, the father, mother and three school aged boys, got out safely and unharmed. There were also no injuries to firefighters who were battling the blaze. The fire, which is believed to have started accidentally, spread quickly throughout the 10,500 square foot home, which is being called a total loss. At the time of this writing fire personnel were still at the scene …

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Fire, Smoke Damage Cumming Restaurant

Mr. Swiss Restaurant on Atlanta Road is closed due to fire and smoke damage.

Mr. Swiss, a popular restaurant located on Atlanta Road in Cumming, was damaged early Tuesday morning due to a fire. Division Chief Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department said firefighters responded to a call around 2:15 a.m. When they arrived on the scene they encountered smoke seeping from the eaves of the building and a fire burning in the restaurant's kitchen. "The fire was brought under control very quickly in the first moments after arrival," said Shivers. "But of course the building sustained significant smoke damage, some moderate water damage and some fire damage." Shivers said an employee who was beginning his workday discovered the fire and as he was turning on equipment in the restaurant he discovered the fire. …

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Forsyth Fire Chief Sworn In to Georgia Board of Public Safety

Forsyth County Fire Chief Danny Bowman is officially on the Board of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Governor Nathan Deal recently swore in Forsyth County Fire Chief Danny Bowman to the Board of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. The Governor’s office announced the appointment of Bowman by Governor Deal to serve on the board last November, a press release stated. Bowman, who began his career as a firefighter for the Atlanta Fire Department in 1968, worked his way up the ranks. He eventually served in the chief administrator capacity for the newly formed Fulton County Fire Department and later as deputy fire chief, interim fire chief and battalion chief for Fulton County. He joined the Forsyth County Fire Department as division fire chief in 2001 and was promoted to assistant fire chief and EMA director in 2002. He has served as …

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Fire Guts Forsyth Residential Workshop

While the hobby shop is a total loss there were no injuries.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a two-story hobby workshop in central eastern Forsyth County Thursday morning. Division Chief Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department said the structure was about 2,000 square feet and was located behind the owner's house at 2705 Samples Road, near Buford Dam Road, in a residential community. "It [workshop] did have vehicles in it and some entertainment capabilities, but a nice structure for the homeowner to do his automotive hobby in," he said. Firefighters responded to the fully engulfed workshop around 10:46 a.m. and 20 minutes later had extinguished the fire. But Shivers said they remained on the scene for more than three hours to ensure all the hot …

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Man Dies Days After Head-on Collision

A 61-year-old man involved in Friday's head-on collision in northwest Forsyth County died this morning.

A 61-year-old man involved in a head-on collision Friday afternoon on Canton Highway (Highway 20) near Business Drive in northwest Forsyth County has died from his injuries, according to authorities. Howard B. Nichelson of nearby Canton, died this morning [Tuesday] at North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, according to Inv. Ron Tomblin of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Nichelson had been on life support since the Friday, Jan. 4 collision. The driver of the other vehicle, Linda D. Pollard, 75, of Big Canoe, located in Pickens County, remains in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center. Pollard, who was traveling westbound on Canton Highway in her 2005 Honda Pilot, crossed over the center turn lane into the eastbound lane, according to …

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Forsyth County Urges Safety During Cold Winter Months

Some safety tips from the Forsyth County Fire Department on keeping your home warm this winter, but free from fire or other disastrous events.

While temperatures this week will be trending on the "warm" side in Forsyth County, it's always a good time to practice these safety tips during the winter months. As of Sunday, Jan. 6, the U.S. Fire Administration reported two house fires across Georgia. In Stockbridge, a 25-year-old woman died in a house fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Also reported on Sunday, in Woodbine, a41-year-old man died in a house fire. The cause of that fire is believed to be a space heater. In case of emergency, always call 911. For more information contact the Forsyth County Fire Prevention Bureau at 678-455-8072.

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UPDATE: Two Critically Injured in Vehicle Accident

A head-on collision Friday afternoon in northwest Forsyth County sends two people to hospitals in critical condition.

UPDATE: 1-4-13, 7:53 p.m. (identities of victims released and probable cause of accident) Two people were critically injured Friday afternoon following a head-on collision on Canton Highway (Highway 20) near Business Drive in northwest Forsyth County. Linda D. Pollard, 75, of Big Canoe located in Pickens County, was traveling westbound on Canton Highway in her 2005 Honda Pilot when she crossed over the center turn lane into the eastbound lane, according to Cpl. David Garrison of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. When she crossed over, she slammed head-on into a Ford F350 van, driven by Howard B. Nichelson, 61, of Canton, who tried to stop but was unable to. Garrison said the impact of the collision caused both drivers to be entrapped in…

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Forsyth Firefighters Rescue Young Deer from Pond

For two days a young doe endures the cold temperatures while trapped in a storage pond at Fowler Park.

A young doe is probably a lot warmer and dryer thanks to a group of rescuers who pulled her out of a storage pond at Fowler Park Wednesday. Division Chief Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department said emergency crews were alerted around 11 a.m. that the doe, about a year old, was in the pond and that she had been in the water since Monday, Dec. 31. "The staff at the Fowler Water Treatment Plant saw her in that pond and thought that she would get herself out," he said. Shivers explained why the staff waited two days before alerting authorities. "They had never experienced that before, they had never encountered a deer in a pond before, so their assumption was that, and likely so, that she would get herself out and it would be …

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Liz Kennedy

5:07 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hi Cat, (love your name) I couldn't agree with you more! Liz Kennedy, Editor   more ›