Atlanta Gas Light crews returned to the Arrive Perimeter apartment complex Tuesday, more than two weeks after an explosion damaged a building and displaced dozens of Dunwoody residents.
Utility crews and DeKalb County firefighters purged any remaining natural gas from the lines leading to the complex, an Atlanta Gas Light spokeswoman said. Attorneys representing more than six dozen tenants were also on scene, fearful the owners of the complex would demolish the damaged building before their own investigation into the explosion is complete.
Atlanta attorney Chris Stewart said his law firm hopes to bring in independent contractors to examine ongoing complaints of gas leaks in the weeks and months leading up to the Sept. 12 blast. The explosion injured at least four people and resulted in evacuation orders for the entire complex.
“There was something filed by them, but the building wasn’t demolished today,” Stewart said. “We have not had a chance to have our experts come out, and we’re very concerned that it was not going to be a fair and impartial investigation ... We want to get experts out there to see the original condition of the building.”
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
A Dunwoody city spokeswoman confirmed that plans have been submitted for a partial demolition of the damaged building. It’s unclear, however, how long that process could take. Dunwoody officials are awaiting approval from both the DeKalb County Fire Marshals Office and the complex’s insurance company before signing off on the demolition permit, a process that could take several days, according to Jennifer Boettcher, the city’s communications director.
“I believe they just intend to demolish the units that were damaged,” she said.
Stewart said his law firm has been in touch with Arrive Perimeter’s attorneys and is trying to get approval to bring in their own investigators before any units are demolished.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
“We’re working that out now,” he said Tuesday afternoon, adding that a request for an emergency injunction to halt any demolition was filed Tuesday morning after attorneys learned the building could be torn down.
The explosion blew apart the front side of one of the complex’s three buildings and damaged surrounding buildings. Of the four residents injured in the blast, one had a severe burn and one suffered a broken leg, DeKalb fire officials said. Two others were treated for relatively minor injuries.
Several residents complained of smelling gas in the hallway and parking garage for weeks leading up to the explosion, but attorneys for some of the tenants say the complex didn’t take those complaints seriously. An Atlanta Gas Light technician was en route to the apartment complex when the explosion occurred, officials said.
At least one resident submitted a maintenance request about the smell earlier that day, according to screenshots obtained Tuesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The request was made about 10:30 a.m., approximately three hours before the blast.
“Gas in the hallway really bad,” the tenant wrote in his service request. “Smells like if you lit a match the building would go up.”
Gas was shut off to the entire complex following the explosion after Atlanta Gas Light inspectors discovered “appliance and fuel line issues within the buildings.” Some residents were given temporary hotel rooms until the issues could be fixed, but the 400-plus tenants were told Friday they had until Oct. 31 to pack their belongings and find a new place to live.
“It has become apparent that we will not be able to quickly return gas service to our residents,” the letter read. “We, unfortunately, cannot commit to a reasonable timeline to restore hot water, heat or functional gas ranges, and without a clear date of that return of gas service, we feel that the prudent action is to vacate the property.”
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Arrive Perimeter said it is limiting move-outs to just 15 per day ahead of the Halloween deadline, according to the letter. None of the remaining residents are being charged rent, and any fees associated with breaking a lease have been waived. The complex said it will continue to put up some of the displaced residents in nearby hotel rooms, but only through the end of September.
Officials from the gas company said all parties are “doing their best to restore service as quickly as is safely possible,” but that the gas won’t be reconnected until each unit is inspected and deemed safe by the city of Dunwoody.
“We are saddened by the events of this past week as both our residents and staff were directly impacted,” the complex wrote in Friday’s letter to residents. “You will not be charged rent for the balance of your tenure at Arrive Perimeter and we hope we can fully open and safely serve our community within the coming months.”
