At least 28 people are without a home Sunday morning after a fire ravaged their Poncey-Highland apartment building.
Atlanta fire officials said crews were sent to the North High Ridge Apartments on North Avenue around 2 a.m. and found flames already engulfing the first and second floors of the building. High winds let the fire spread faster and made it difficult to fight the blaze, Battalion Chief Deaunte Grier said.
Everyone who was inside was able to escape, including one cat who was rescued, Grier said. No injuries were reported.
By 9 a.m., only the building’s facade appeared to be standing. Its interior collapsed at some point after everyone had been evacuated, Grier said.
Resident Chad Palmer told Channel 2 Action News he had just gone to get his wife a late-night snack from a fast-food restaurant when he got a call from her.
“I had to come back soon as he called me to make sure everybody was safe,” he told Channel 2. “We probably have lost what is in the building, but we have our lives and, you know, we have our ability to generate wealth and income, so we’re blessed.”
Fire officials did not immediately return a request for information. It is not clear what caused the fire.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
