College Park fire crews battled a massive blaze at an apartment complex Friday morning.
Residents of The Langston Apartments on Godby Road had to evacuate as the fire raged in one of the buildings around 5 a.m. No major injuries have been reported, fire officials said.
“I woke up this morning; I heard somebody running around the hallway hollering, ‘Fire! Fire!’” said resident Nathan Tillman. “I looked up, and I saw smoke coming out in my room.”
Tillman said he threw on some clothes, grabbed his dog and ran out.
Evacuees were left standing in the 30- and 40-degree weather as they watched the flames engulf their homes. Fire billowed out of a balcony, bathing patio furniture in the orange glow of flames.
“No socks, no nothing. This is my work shirt! You feel me? I’m pretty much cold,” Deandre Franklin told Channel 2 Action News as he stood in the parking lot in his long-sleeve shirt and basketball shorts with shoes but no socks.
Firefighters have been working to douse the stubborn flames, which were shooting through the roof at one point and appear to have consumed several units in one building, the news station reported.
By 8 a.m., officials said four of the top-floor units had been burned extensively. The rest had smoke and water damage.
“We did have some tenants that were treated and given oxygen, but there was no major illnesses or injuries,” Division Chief Ron Taylor said.
Officials have not said what may have caused the blaze.
A reporter’s phone call to the apartment complex office went unanswered.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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