Nearly 40 people lost their homes in the aftermath of a serious blaze that raged for hours Tuesday at an apartment complex in DeKalb County.
The fire was reported at 2:23 p.m. at the Wesley Providence apartment complex at the corner of Klondike and Hayden Quarry roads in Stonecrest, officials said. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a second-story balcony and flames stretching from the roof line, DeKalb fire spokesperson Capt. Jaeson Daniels told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email Tuesday.
DeKalb firefighters worked into the night to extinguish some remaining hot spots, according to Daniels. Photos from the scene at the height of the fire showed a firetruck’s boom hose spraying the flames four stories in the air.
Officials said the fire was so intense that rescue crews could not enter the building for several hours. Video footage showed flames leaping from the roof and a huge plume of black smoke billowing from the structure.
A second alarm was activated, and crews were forced to go into a defensive posture to isolate the flames, Daniels said.
As of Tuesday night, Daniels said all occupants had been accounted for through the apartment complex’s leasing office. Crews were able to rescue two cats and a dog from the building before it was deemed unsafe to enter, he said.
No injuries were reported.
The fire damaged 28 individual apartment units, according to Red Cross spokesperson Sherry Nicholson. As of Wednesday morning, 37 people comprising 21 families had been displaced, Nicholson said. The Red Cross will provide temporary lodging and other essentials to those families, including anyone who already made arrangements Tuesday but might need assistance later.
The blaze remains under investigation. Investigators do not believe it will be possible to determine the cause of the fire due to its intensity.
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