ATLANTA — Residents at the Bell Collier apartments off Howell Mill Road were finally able to retrieve some of their belongings Sunday afternoon, just over a week after a massive fire displaced over 100 people.
However, communication from the apartment complex management has been minimal, according to some neighbors.
Some residents of Bell Collier Village were allowed inside for the first time since the fire.
"I got up, looked out the window, and I told my mom we need to go. It wasn't until we got outside that we saw all the black smoke and realized the building was actually on fire," one resident recounted.
Not everyone was able to go inside on Sunday. One woman and her mother expressed their frustration with the lack of communication from management, stating they are desperate to retrieve necessities and personal items.
"I just heard from a construction contractor that they're starting with the least affected areas to the most affected, which I understand. I just want to know where I fall," she said. "I don't have my social security card, my passport, my degree."
The fire, which occurred last Saturday, was reportedly caused by a rooftop party attended by over 100 people, according to fire officials.
On Sunday, residents from the fifth floor were given two boxes and 30 minutes to grab what they could. One resident shared an email with 11Alive stating more information would be available in the coming weeks.
"It's heart-wrenching to hear that so many people have lost everything, and we just don't know if we can recover," another resident lamented.