The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(TNS)
A large fire engulfed a Gwinnett County apartment building and left at least 24 adults and nine children displaced early Wednesday morning, according to fire officials.
Fire crews were called to the Elliot Norcross apartments on Sparrows Lane in the Gwinnett Village area around 3:30 a.m. and found flames bursting through the roof of a two-story building, fire Capt. Ryan McGiboney said. The building housed eight units.
Firefighters immediately jumped into action to knock down the flames and search for any victims. After about an hour, the fire was under control and no victims had been found after a search of a majority of the structure, McGiboney said. A small portion of the building had yet to be searched but crews were waiting to assess its structural integrity.
One resident, Claudia Maldonado, said the fire alarms weren’t working, so neighbors rushed to knock on doors and warn residents to evacuate.
“We had to race to get out, everyone who lived there,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Spanish.
The displaced residents have had to sit in the frigid morning weather as they await help from the Red Cross. Temperatures Wednesday fell into the 30s for the first time since mid-March.
What caused the fire is unclear. A fire investigator is working to determine where it started, McGiboney said.
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