(Norcross, Ga., April 5, 2021) – Firefighters responded at 3:10 a.m. to a report of an apartment fire at the Las Palamas Apartments, located at 1044 Seasons Parkway NW in unincorporated Norcross. The caller to 911 reported people screaming and running away from the building.

Crews arrived to find the back of a 2-3/split wood frame apartment building engulfed in flames near the center breezeway. Flames were already burning on all three floors and venting through the roof when the first fire trucks arrived. Per the first-due Engine, one woman kicked out a window screen and climbed out on the ledge from the second floor. She was assisted down by neighbors and police as firefighters were getting off the truck.

Firefighters deployed fire attack and water supply hose lines and made an aggressive transitional-offensive attack on the fire with rescue as a priority. Firefighters flowed water from one 2½-inch diameter hose line, three 1¾- diameter hose lines, and the aerial ladder pipes to darken down the bulk of the flames and complete extinguishment. The blaze caused heavy damage to five apartment units and significant smoke heat and water damage to several adjoining units.

Per Fire Investigators, the blaze appears accidental and originated on a screened-in patio in a center unit on the back of the building. The fire quickly spread to the second and third floors and into the attic. Because of the magnitude of the damage, investigators are unable to rule out smoking materials or electrical components in the area of origin as the cause of the fire.

Approximately 26 people were displaced due to the damage. The American Red Cross was contacted to provide temporary assistance and was working with apartment management. There were no injuries reported.

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 6-Engines, 2-Ladder Trucks, 1-Squad, 2-Medic Units, 1-Air & Light Unit, 1-Medic Supervisor, 2-Battalion Chiefs, 1-District Commander, 2-Fire Investigators, and 1-PIO.

Photos and video available on Facebook and Twitter @GwinnettFire.

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