Man accused of putting firefighters' lives in danger

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators are working to find out what caused a massive apartment fire in DeKalb County.

The fire destroyed 16 apartments at the Sanctuary at Oglethorpe Apartment in Brookhaven, leaving residents without a home.

Resident Andrew Hamann spent his Sunday trying to salvage all he could.

"I got out what I could," Hamann said as he searched through what was left of his apartment. "There is only so much we can do."

While he lost a lot of his personal belongings the fire, Hamann said there are people who lost much more.

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"I feel lucky that I was here to salvage what I could and help the people that didn't have much left," Hamann said.

He and his neighbors living in building 1700 were displaced when flames tore through their units Saturday night.

Scott Cartwright said he was thankful for firefighters who saved his life and rescued his cat, even though they were unable to save his home.

The intense fire gutted the building.

However, firefighters told Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez they had to battle more than just flames.

"We had several cars that were unnecessarily driving over our fire hose," said Capt. Erick Jackson with DeKalb County Fire and Rescue.

Channel 2’s cameras were rolling when Michael Zamorski tried driving over the fire hose several times.

Police ended up arresting Zamorski and charging him with crossing a fire hose and DUI.

"You feel for everyone involved," witness Phillip Parnell said.

As for the people living in the 16 units that made up the building, they're now forced to rebuild.

"It's heartbreaking," Parnell said

In the meantime, the displaced residents are being helped by the Red Cross. Investigators are still trying to determine what started the fire.

Cox Media Group