A fire tore through a Gwinnett County apartment building late Monday morning, leaving more than a dozen people displaced, officials said.
Crews responded around 10:45 a.m. to The Residences on McGinnis Ferry in Suwanee after a 911 caller stated there was a fire on the balcony of a third-floor apartment, according to Gwinnett fire. Firefighters arrived at the three-story building and deployed three hose lines to extinguish the flames, which had extended into the attic space from the third-floor unit.
While navigating the smoke and intense heat, crews evacuated five people from the impacted apartments and put out the blaze. The lower-level floors were also cleared, but officials said the fire never reached the area.
“Once the fire was controlled, heavy fire damage was found in the initial fire unit on the third floor and approximately five other adjacent units were heavily water-damaged,” Gwinnett fire said. “No injuries or medical complaints were found on the scene.”
According to investigators, the fire started in the third-floor balcony and was determined to be accidental.
A resident said she was smoking on the balcony about 15 minutes before the fire and went inside to work. She then heard a popping sound, and noticed a “significant amount of fire” on the balcony, officials said.
The woman ran to grab an extinguisher, but the fire had grown by that point, officials added. She pulled the fire alarm, called 911 and escaped the building.
Gwinnett fire said 14 people were displaced from the blaze; the American Red Cross on Tuesday said it was helping 24 people. Volunteers provided comfort kits, assistance and recovery planning to the families.
“Some of those assisted were not part of units with fire damage, but still needed help due to the power being shut off,” Red Cross spokesperson Katie Zwerk told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Gwinnett fire officials said the smoke alarms and sprinkler systems were working at the time. Anyone who would like to help the Red Cross may visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.
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