There will be no charges following an accidental fire started by a juvenile playing with a lighter that affected 21 units in a 42-unit Arium Sweetwater Apartments, on Sweetwater Road in Lawrenceville Friday afternoon.
The child, who was left home alone, was playing with a lighter on a third floor apartment balcony when the fire started, according to Gwinnett Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge. Officials are not releasing the age and name of the juvenile or the family.
There were no injuries reported and all animals that were removed by firefighters are doing ok and are reunited with their owners.
All but one of the 21 affected units were occupied and of those half of the families, 13 people, are being assisted by the Red Cross, according to Sherry Nicholson, Regional Communication Director for the American Red Cross of Georgia.
Nicholson noted this has been an exceptionally busy year for Red Cross disaster response for home fires with more than 1,700 people helped in metro Atlanta since January 1.
Anyone who would like to help the Red Cross provide disaster relief can do so online at www.redcross.org
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