GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of Gwinnett County residents are without a home after a fire on Sunday night. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services say the smoke alarms were not working.
The fire damaged a building at the Las Palmas Apartments at 2113 Seasons Parkway in Norcross. Officials said multiple 911 calls came in around 10 p.m.
“Everybody started screaming, fire, fire,” resident Gary Zepeda told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
“I was getting ready for sleep, and someone knocked the door really hard and they started screaming it’s on fire. The whole place is on fire,” Kenneth Reyaes said.
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The flames spread to six units with four being called a total loss. Crews got the fire under control by 10:30 p.m.
But residents say minutes is all it took to turn the holidays into a heartbreak for many of them.
“It’s material stuff, but it’s hard to lose things that you work hard for,” Gary Zepeda said.
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Investigators are working to determine what caused the fire to start.
One renter said that they heard what sounded like a pop sound before the fire started.
“Our firefighters that made the initial attack didn’t hear any sounds of any alarm systems going off or working smoke alarms,” Capt. Ryan McGiboney said.
No one was injured, but medical crews remained on the scene to assist the firefighters with the cold conditions. The American Red Cross was also on the scene to help residents who were displaced.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services says you should check your smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries twice a year to keep them working properly.
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