With just a week until Christmas, 19 people have been displaced from their apartments after a fire damaged their units on Thursday afternoon.
Gwinnett County’s 911 dispatch received multiple calls at 3:44 p.m. about a fire at the Plantation Ridge Apartments at 1022 Level Creek Road in Sugar Hill on Thursday afternoon. One 911 caller told dispatch that there was a fire behind their apartment, and that it was spreading to the second floor.
Firefighters with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services responded to the scene and found a working fire at the three-story apartment building. Fire crews deployed two hose lines to combat the fire that they found on the rear side of the building. Firefighters remained on the scene for an extended period of time to ensure hot spots did not flare up.
Six apartment units were affected and sustained moderate fire damage and heavy water damage. Firefighters kept the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
An occupant of one of the apartment units told crews that “they heard the smoke alarms activated, went to investigate when they saw the fire on the balcony below them, and evacuated the building.”
Evacuation of the building began before firefighters arrived on the scene and was aided by the Gwinnett County Police. No injuries were reported on the scene. The fire displaced 11 adults and eight children. They will be receiving assistance from the American Red Cross and apartment management.
Fire investigators responded to the scene and determined that the fire originated on the second-story balcony on the C-side of the building. The fire was ruled accidental.
Gwinnett County deployed substantial resources to battle this blaze, utilizing five engines, two ladder trucks, one squad, two med units, three command staff units, one air and light unit, one fire investigator and one public information officer.
