Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(TNS)
East Point firefighters were still battling hot spots Thursday morning after a massive fire destroyed several apartments and left 75 people displaced, according to officials.
Crews were called around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to The Park at Galaway Apartments off Washington Road between I-285 and Camp Creek Parkway.
“Residents heard a loud boom and then shortly thereafter the units were on fire,” fire department spokesperson Andre Moore told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
No injuries were reported.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire, but crews at the scene told Channel 2 Action News that lightning could be to blame.
“Out of nowhere, we hear a big ol’ boom! And then like two minutes later, we come outside, the whole apartment on fire,” resident Elijah Isaiah Woodbine told the news station.
Another resident, Raheem Loftin, was home with his 10 children.
“I just started smelling a lot of smoke,” he said. “The roof was on fire, and flames was coming out the top of the roof of the next-door neighbor.”
When crews arrived, they found flames billowing from two buildings. About 18 units were affected, Moore said. That includes fire and water damage.
The American Red Cross said it has assisted 71 people so far, and that number could grow. The organization “provided comfort kits, direct client assistance and recovery planning to the families to meet their disaster-caused needs,” a spokesperson said.
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