East Point apartment fire leaves 75 people homeless, firefighters say lightning may be to blame

Fire crews say lighting might be to blame for a fire that left dozens homeless.

The fire started Wednesday afternoon as a storm moved through East Point impacting two buildings and leaving 75 people homeless.

East Point Fire Department said they will be working the fire at the Park at Galaway Apartments throughout the night, to make sure that the hot spots are out.

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“Out of nowhere we hear a big old boom and then two minutes later we come outside and the whole apartment on fire,” resident Elijah Isaiah Woodbine said about his apartment building Wednesday afternoon.

He lived in one building.

In a second building, Raheem Loftin was inside with his 10 kids.

“I just started smelling a lot of smoke,” Loftin said. “The roof was on fire and flames was coming out the top of the roof of the next-door neighbor.”

Video from NewsDrone 2 showed the damage.

Fire crews say they got the call just before 3:30 pm Wednesday. They found one building in flames when they noticed a second building burning.

The fires were intense, quickly destroying 12 units in one building and five in the second. Drone video showed a building separating the two burned structures.

But neighbors told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan it was frantic as they worked to ensure everyone was safe.

“Me and brother right here breaking down doors, knocking on doors getting everybody out their apartments,” Woodbine said.

“I sprint into action like a superhero, I go over there and start banging on doors dogs, old people babies, and stuff like that,” Demetrius Davis said.

Others say they found themselves frustrated as they watched their homes burn.

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“The chief of the fire department already said they didn’t have enough water pressure coming through the apartments,” Loftin said. “It looked like a faucet not getting enough pressure, nothing barely coming out.”

Investigators are considering lightning as the possible cause of the fires.

The Red Cross and Fulton County Emergency Management were at the leasing office giving out housing vouchers for the night to the many of the displaced families.

Loftin’s family is using a GoFundMe page as they work to find a place for their large family to live.

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