ATLANTA — Residents at an Atlanta apartment complex are displaced from their homes after firefighters responded to a massive blaze on Saturday afternoon that could be seen across the city skyline.
Atlanta Fire and Rescue said firefighters battled the flames at 1950 Howell Mill Road NW, the location of Bell Collier Village apartment complex.
A letter to the complex's residents stated that access to the building "cannot be granted until it has been confirmed that it is safe to do so."
The complex added that confirmation would come on Monday at the earliest.
The American Red Cross responded to help affected residents. As of Sunday morning, the organization said they were assisting over 100 residents.
"The dogs being in there was a pretty scary feeling," resident Robert Bauer told 11Alive on Saturday. "When we came out, it looked like one of the apartments had exploded or something like that—just completely destroyed."
Officials said firefighters did not enter the building because at least two floors collapsed. At this time, it's unclear where the fire came from or how it started.
"The roof on the fire was massive. There was a lot of smoke coming out," said frequent visitor Evan Eichelberger. They have grills, seats, chairs and whatnot. It's a nice place. It doesn't look like anything that you would usually consider a fire hazard or anything like that."
An 11Alive viewer sent in the following image that shows the massive blaze:
11Alive is at the scene and captured the following video and image:
Smoke could be seen billowing from the Atlanta skyline.
