Investigators on Monday were still trying to determine what caused the fire that destroyed a 24-unit condo in south Fulton County Friday, but they had no reason to believe it was set.
"Nothing leads us to believe anything other than accidental at the moment," said Keith Padgett of the Fulton County Fire & Rescue Department.
He said Monday that a woman who was in the unit where the fire started told investigators that she was responsible.
"What she's saying is she dropped a cigarette on the bed," Padgett said. But he cautioned that the investigation was ongoing and that no definitive cause had been determined. The fire burned down the four-story Camelot Condominiums in the 5600 block of Old National Highway.
No one was injured though two people survived a harrowing rescue from the building. Firefighters had to use a ladder truck to pluck them from the third floor.
Padgett, who is the chief fire marshal for Fulton, said Friday that two people were in the unit where the fire started.
The blaze destroyed all units of the privately-owned condo complex. The 45-year old wood buildings had come under a fire safety review recently. Officials deemed the club house unsafe and ordered it shut down until a renovation could be completed, Padgett said.
Also, a private fire hydrant on the property failed to work Friday despite an inspection in October that said it was operational. Firefighters lost time because they had to connect a 1,000-foot hose to a public hydrant out on Old National Highway, Padgett said.
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