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Sprinkler system wasn't on during fire at apartment complex, officials say

Sprinklers fail to turn on during fire at apartment complex, officials say

A Norcross apartment building went up in flames Sunday morning.

Gwinnett County firefighters confirm to Channel 2 Action News that the sprinkler system wasn't on.

The smell of smoke inside Gwen Johnson's apartment is overwhelming. She can no longer stay in the building.

"Someone started banging frantically on my door saying, 'It’s a fire, it’s a fire!' There are apartments on the back side of the building so I went around and knocked on everybody’s apartment on the other side so they could get out," she said.

Firefighters got to KRC Hilltops Apartments around 3:30 a.m.

They were able to contain the fire to two apartment units. But residents are concerned the sprinkler system didn't work. According to firefighters, it's been an issue for several months.

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"In fact a fire truck came out in March. They had to shut the water off to the sprinkler system due to that leak. Management at the complex was notified by the crew. They were instructed to conduct a fire watch and told firefighters they were notifying the sprinkler company so why the sprinkler was still not working is something we’ll be looking into as well," said Capt. Tommy Rutledge with the Gwinnett County Fire Department.

"There was a false sense of security, knowing that it was out and I’m feeling safe and it’s not safe. That is disturbing to me," Johnson said.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the property management group, Strategic Management Partners, which sent us an email saying:

The fire this morning is a very unfortunate situation, but thankfully no one was injured.  As you can understand, we have limited information since the fire just occurred this morning so was surprised by the statement from the fire department.  We take the allegation of the sprinkler system malfunction very seriously, but have no definitive information on the cause of the fire nor to substantiate the allegation of a sprinkler malfunction.  Our top priority is ensuring the residents displaced are made comfortable and have immediate housing. Our team is working with the Red Cross to ensure the families' immediate needs are addressed.   We have also provided food and basic household supplies for them at a sister community where they are being offered permanent housing.   
 
At this time, I can say that management conducts a thorough 3rd party annual fire inspection as is required by Gwinnett County. Said inspection was approved by the fire marshal's office for the 2018 calendar year.  Based on this we are not aware of any alleged deficiencies with the sprinkler system, but the management team takes residents' safety very seriously, and plan on working closely with the authorities while they investigate the situation fully.