CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. --
Firefighters discovered two bodies inside a Clayton County apartment building hours after they first arrived to battle a fire.
The fire damaged eight units of a building at the Chateau Forest apartments in Riverdale on Monday morning.
The deputy fire chief told Channel 2’s Darryn Moore his team found the first body while sifting through the rubble of an apartment on the backside of the building. Several families escaped the fire as flames shot through the roof.
“I ran downstairs and ran around the corner and saw fire falling from the building,” resident Charles James told Moore.
Residents said they had no time to collect their belongings.
"The upstairs apartment was on fire. I don’t how it started. I was sleeping with my two kids and my wife," said resident Thomas Mosely. “Everything we had from the time we moved in, all of that stuff is gone.”
"I panicked. I did everything I could, tried to knock on the door of everyone who lived around me, try to get them out and make sure no one got hurt," said resident Dakota Lee.
Riverdale firefighters needed assistance from Clayton County and Morrow firefighters to eventually extinguish the flames.
Around 1 p.m., investigators found a second body in the rubble, firefighters said. They said the victim was an unidentified woman.
Investigators told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh they did not know what caused the fire. They said it was too early to determine whether it was accidental or intentional.
The American Red Cross said they are providing the families with food and clothing. They said the apartment complex is providing the families with other apartments to stay in.
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