A 65-year-old man died Tuesday after fire tore through his Gainesville apartment, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Residents of the Linwood Apartments off Thompson Bridge Road told Channel 2 they rushed to the man’s unit after hearing a loud noise around noon, but the door was locked. They tried to break down the door; then, a landlord arrived with a key.
"There was so much smoke coming out, we couldn't go in,” Stewart Yarborough said. "I had the fire extinguisher, and I tried to go in ... but it was too hot."
Another neighbor, Freida Sims, said the smoke was so thick, it was coming through the walls into her own unit.
"Smoke was going everywhere,” Sims said. Then, she said, she saw firefighters “bringing his body out, trying to revive him."
The unidentified man was taken in critical condition to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon. An autopsy was pending to determine the cause of death.
Fire investigators remained at the scene seeking what started the blaze.
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