A two-alarm fire at an Atlanta apartment building forced residents from their beds early Thursday morning.
Multiple people called 911 around 2 a.m. to report the blaze at a complex on Richardson Street in the Mechanicsville neighborhood, according to Atlanta fire officials. Within minutes, the first crews arrived to find flames shooting through the roof of the 300 building and called in the second alarm.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Multiple apartment buildings were evacuated after the fire spread to an adjacent building, fire department spokeswoman Alyssa Richardson said.
“Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack before command declared an equally aggressive defensive operation,” Richardson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email. “The entire operation continued for nearly five hours.”
No one was injured, but eight units were substantially damaged and were boarded up, she said.
Fire crews remained at the scene putting out hotspots Thursday morning. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Five families, about 25 people, lost their homes, according to the American Red Cross of Georgia. Volunteers with the organization were also at the scene Thursday to assist the affected families with immediate needs like temporary lodging, food, clothing and other personal items.
“Caseworkers will continue to work with the people impacted in the days ahead to help them get back on their feet and begin the recovery process,” Red Cross spokesperson Ruby Ramirez said in an email.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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