20 displaced by fire at DeKalb condo complex

A fire displaced 20 people Wednesday at a condominium complex in Clarkston. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

A fire displaced 20 people Wednesday at a condominium complex in Clarkston. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

A fire at a problem-plagued condominium complex Wednesday in DeKalb County left 20 people homeless for Thanksgiving, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The blaze at the Brannon Hill complex in Clarkston destroyed a building, which crews demolished in the afternoon, the station reported.

No one was injured, but the displaced residents could not get back in to retrieve their possessions, Channel 2 reported.

“Hopefully, I can get a few this-thats, my mom’s picture … ,” resident Nellie Smith said.

On Nov. 15, a Superior Court judge gave owners in the complex 60 days to demolish and clean up the structures, or the county would intervene.

For more than a decade, DeKalb has worked to address blight conditions in the complex, which is at 1000 Old Hampton Drive.

“These unsafe structures and mounting debris have created serious safety hazards, and some of the sites have been used as a dumping ground by privately-owned businesses,” the county said in a Nov. 21 statement.