The number of people displaced by Wednesday’s apartment fire in Buckhead has grown to more than 180 as many of the residents come to terms with the fact that they’ve lost everything.
According to American Red Cross spokeswoman Sherry Nicholson, at least 182 people were impacted by the blaze at the Avana on Main complex, up from Wednesday’s count of 162 people from 101 families. That number, she said, could continue to rise.
“Some people don’t want our help right away, or feel that they don’t need it,” Nicholson told AJC.com Thursday morning. “And, obviously, they are not required to take it, but we try to assist as many families as we can.”
Atlanta firefighters remained at the scene Thursday morning, dousing hot spots and surveying the destruction caused by the massive fire that ripped through the building near the Lindbergh MARTA station. The cause remains under investigation.
Fire officials were able to evacuate residents from the four-story building before a large portion of the roof collapsed. But the combination of intense heat, thick smoke and thousands of gallons of water left many survivors with nothing beyond what they were able to grab as they escaped.
Chris Bronkar stayed the night at a nearby hotel with his cat, who he put into a small animal carrier as he fled the burning building. He hasn’t been allowed back inside his home to inspect the damage, but he’s bracing for the worst.
Aside from his cat, laptop and a few personal items that he was able to grab, Bronkar said the rest of his belongings are still inside his home.
“Hopefully it was just water and smoke damage,” he said, adding that he hopes to salvage a box of sentimental family keepsakes that was stored in his bedroom. “I also had a big collection of leather-bound books, but I’m sure that’s all destroyed.”
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Darrell Stafford, who returned home from the store Wednesday afternoon to find the entire floor of his building engulfed in flames, isn’t optimistic about recovering his possessions.
“My unit pretty much got totally destroyed,” he said. “The building is still blocked off, but you can literally see where floors fell on top of other floors. I don’t think much of that stuff is going to be salvageable at all, to be honest.”
Stafford got about four hours of sleep at his hotel before waking up early Thursday to make more calls to his insurance company.
“There’s a lot of sentimental stuff that you just can’t replace,” he said. “Electronics, stuff like that — that can all be replaced. What can’t be replaced is the picture you have of your grandparents that they personally signed.”
Despite losing so much, Stafford said he is grateful to have a strong support system.
“The fact that I’m alive, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I’ve known people this has happened to before. But until it happens to you, you don’t know the magnitude of that whole situation. It’s a lot to handle.”
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
