All residents of a Brookhaven apartment building were able to escape their homes safely when a massive blaze broke out early Monday morning.
No injuries were reported in the fire at the Evergreen Lenox Park apartments, which sent huge flames and smoke high into the air above nearby Roxboro and North Druid Hills roads at the start of the morning commute.
Everyone inside the building evacuated before the first crews arrived about 6:30 a.m., thanks in large part to the effort of one man. Yusuf Thorne was on his way into work when he heard a subtle cracking sound and spotted the fire coming from an apartment on the third floor.
Thorne said he called 911, connected with a dispatcher, and immediately hung up to begin knocking on his neighbors’ doors. He escorted one woman to safety and went back again to try to wake another neighbor.
“He eventually came out,” Thorne said. “I was going to have to kick the door down if they didn’t get out of there.”
Thorne said he had to continue knocking on doors as the fire spread. According to fire Capt. Jaeson Daniels, the flames reached an attic space and eventually destroyed several third-floor units.
“It started on the third floor so the fire didn’t have very far to travel to get to the attic, really saving the apartments on the bottom from fire damage,” Daniels said. “But unfortunately, the top apartments had severe fire damage.”
The American Red Cross is helping 44 people who lost their homes and need assistance with temporary lodging and other emergency needs.
Fire crews were still digging through debris Monday morning to learn the extent of the damage. Investigators have not determined the fire’s cause or exact origin.
—Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
