NORCROSS, Ga. — A fire at a metro Atlanta apartment complex left multiple families in the cold as a freeze warning took over north Georgia, causing drier conditions early Wednesday morning.
It happened at the complex, located on Sparrows Lane in Norcross, at 3:26 a.m. Fire officials said a tenant called emergency services, reporting they could see flames coming from the building.
Minutes later, firefighters arrived at the complex, where the fire could be seen billowing through the roof. It took firefighters an hour before the flames were completely put out.
No one was hurt, according to authorities, but at least 33 adults and ten children were displaced and without a home.
Any Morel, who has lived there for six years, says she was working nearby when her sister called and told her to rush home.
“When I got here, I felt crazy looking for my family: my 14 and 9-year-old sons and 10-year-old niece," she said in a Spanish interview that has since been translated into English. "I kept screaming and screaming until they saw me, rushed to me, hugged me and said they were okay."
Another family told 11Alive that they had to jump out of their second-floor window to escape safely.
Today, they are focusing on finding a new home.
“My kids don’t even have a toy to play with," Morel said. "We lost all of our documents, too."
Gwinnett Fire Captain Ryan McGiboney said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“If there’s anything fortunate from this scenario, it is that our crews were actually returning from a previous call and were able to be on the scene pretty quickly, but once they showed up on the scene, they knew they had their work cut out for them," Captain McGiboney said.
Multiple families displaced after Gwinnett County apartment fire, officials say
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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