North Georgia fires leave at least 4 dead, displace dozens during cold weather

The causes of those recent fires remain under investigation, but safety experts routinely warn that problems with heating sources are a leading cause of cold-weather house fires. Proper heater installation and maintenance, as well as ensuring equipment is a safe distance from flammable material, reduces fire risk, according to the state’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire.

In the most recent fire, flames burst through the roof of one of the buildings at the Midwood Gardens Apartment Homes, a gated community just south of Memorial Drive in the Pine Lake area. No injuries were reported.

A look at the recent fires:

DeKalb County

DeKalb fire Capt. Jaeson Daniels said his crews were called just before 10 a.m. Monday to the scene where smoke billowed above the roof and was visible for miles. Five units were damaged by fire, smoke or water, he said. The exact number of displaced people was not immediately available. The Red Cross was assisting affected families.

Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gwinnett County

The night before, Gwinnett County firefighters were called to a blaze at the Las Palmas Apartments on Seasons Parkway. The complex is in the Gwinnett Place area.

When crews arrived around 10 p.m. Sunday, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of a three-story building, officials said.

Forty people were displaced. On Monday, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church was assisting emergency agencies with helping those residents.

No injuries were reported in that blaze, but six units were damaged. Four of them were deemed a total loss.

One of the occupants stated they heard a “pop” and went to investigate when they saw the fire, officials said. Smoke alarms were not active in the units.

Authorities said the fire originated in a second-floor unit at the back of the building. They have not disclosed the cause, which remains under investigation.

Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services

Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services

Earlier Sunday, a house fire killed a woman in her Snellville home, according to Gwinnett fire officials.

Crews responded at 1:04 a.m. to reports of a house fire in the 3000 block of Jonathan Court. The 911 caller advised that the neighbor’s house was on fire, and his wife was still inside.

Attempts were made to go through the front door, but firefighters were forced out because of a partial collapse, according to investigators. After entering the rear of the home, firefighters found a woman’s body in a bathroom. Her name was not released.

The flames were extinguished at approximately 1:42 a.m., but the house was declared a total loss, the fire department said.

Union County

Also Sunday, a fire killed two children, believed to be ages 3 and 6, in Union County, the fire department said.

Firefighters arrived to find a home in the Warren Trailer Park fully engulfed and the roof collapsed, the fire department said. The time of the fire was not provided, and the case remains under investigation.

Fulton County

On Saturday, two College Park women were caught in a burning home.

The blaze was reported around 2 p.m. in a two-story home on Lyle Avenue, just east of Washington Road. One woman died at the scene, and another was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, College Park fire officials told Channel 2 Action News.

Authorities have not released the name of the deceased or the condition of the injured woman.

And on Friday, a large fire engulfed a building at the Camelot Condominiums, a troubled South Fulton complex that’s been the scene of several fires over the years.

The condo fire sent two people to a hospital. They were said to be stable, according to city spokesperson Tori Cooper. At least 18 others were displaced.