ATLANTA — A woman's body is badly burned after she jumped from her balcony to escape a fire at a DeKalb County apartment on Wednesday, according to authorities.
The DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department said it happened just before 11 p.m. at The Landing at Pleasantdale Apartments on 3497 Meadowglenn Village Lane in Doraville on August 2.
As fire crews arrived at the scene, they were met with a daunting sight - heavy smoke billowing from the multi-story building. The department also reported that flames engulfed a significant portion of the structure.
Before the arrival of the firefighting teams, several residents were left with no choice but to evacuate the building by leaping from their balconies, desperate to escape the spreading flames. Among those forced to make this escape, one woman was severely injured during her leap to safety.
The injured woman, whose identity remains unknown, the department said, suffered from severe burns covering 30% of her body. She was immediately rushed to Grady Hospital in critical condition. Medical personnel told fire crews that she underwent emergency surgery shortly after her arrival.
As of now, there has been no official update on her current condition.
The fire resulted in 19 people being displaced from their homes. The impact of the flames was extensive, affecting half the building, a total of 10 units, the fire department said.
Fire officials have not said what started the fire.