March 30, 2004
Albany - Fire swept through an Albany apartment complex and damaged as many as 6 apartments. Firefighters were called to the blaze at New Jerusalem Village Apartments on South Madison around 2:30PM. By the time they got there, two apartments were fully engulfed.
Residents crowded in the parking lot to watch flames and smoke poor out of the apartment building. "We're really not sure what happened," said Parla Davis. Davis rushed over as soon as she heard her niece, Latasha Walker's, apartment was on fire. "First of all I thought the worst."
Luckily Davis' niece, her five children, and all the other resident got out. "Everybody got out safely, Thank God," said Davis.
"We had good involvement in the two bedrooms, and it had already made its way into the attic by the time we got here," said Albany Fire Battalion Chief David Eddins. It took 15 firefighters less than 30 minutes to get the blaze under control. But, the flames left behind thousands of dollars in damage.
"We look at two that have fire damage, and the ones under them may have water damage. We've already prepared for that by laying tarps on their furniture. And, we may have smoke damage on the ones at the other end," said Eddins.
Now, firefighters are talking with the residents to find out what caused the fire. "We'll try to get their stories and find out what they saw initially. And then, we'll go in and look to confirm what they said and look for the fire cause," said Eddins. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Posted at 5:00PM by kathryn.murchison@walb.com
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