More than 30 people were displaced by a fire at a Duluth apartment complex early Christmas morning.
Gwinnett County firefighters responded to a blaze at the Cortland Portico Apartments on Preston Park Drive around 3 a.m. Sunday. Crews found a multi-family dwelling with heavy fire showing, the fire department said.
While firefighters advanced hoses up the stairwell, other crew members began evacuating residents. Fire apparatus operators discovered the water supply to the closest hydrants had been closed and had to use a working hydrant located near the apartment complex entrance instead.
One resident was trapped in an apartment, but firefighters were able to rescue him from a second-story window, the fire department said.
At one point, crews were forced to withdraw from the building due to deteriorating structural conditions. Once ladder trucks were able to knock down the bulk of the fire, the crews re-entered to complete a search for victims, according to the fire department.
Apartment management was able to make contact with all residents to confirm they had all escaped safely, with no injuries reported, the department said.
The fire was under control before 5:30 a.m. Crews remained on the scene until 11 a.m. The cause is still under investigation.
The American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist eight families and a total of 31 people. That number was expected to go up significantly as people return home from the holidays.
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