Neighbors recount apartment fires that displaced 75 people

EAST POINT, Ga. — Fire investigators are trying to determine if lightning sparked two adjacent apartment fires in East Point on Wednesday.

Neighbors say they heard a boom, saw lightning, and then immediately smelled smoke.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was in South Fulton County on Oaks Lane on Thursday where she spoke to some neighbors who saw the fire.

The fire started Wednesday afternoon and neighbors are trying to determine if lightning is to blame.

“If it is not lightning, you know they’re gonna find out,” neighbor Ernestine Redden said.

Redden came out of her home Thursday morning and saw East Point fire investigators collecting evidence.

She and many others believe lightning is why 75 people were displaced from their homes.

“Everybody heard the big boom. You know because when we initially heard it, we thought maybe it was a car accident since we were so close to the expressway. But then five minutes after, we started smelling smoke,” Redden said.

A spokesperson for East Point Fire told Channel 2 Action News that they are still investigating the cause.

Neighbors say firefighters were doing their job to get the flames out, but they said the complex has had a water issue for at least a week.

“It started off really slow. So we was just wondering how did it get controlled so quickly. That didn’t make no sense,” Redden said.

The spokesperson for East Point Fire also said they’re investigating the claim that there wasn’t enough water to fight the fire.

Luckily, no one was hurt on Wednesday, thanks to neighbors looking out for each other.

“We was running round here trying to get everybody out – its three people that was inside the apartment during the fire – and we ‘get out get out get out,’ trying to kick down doors and everything,” Redden said.