Attorney who filed lawsuit against burned apartment building says management is making it worse

ATLANTA — The attorney who filed a class action lawsuit against the owners and property managers of an Atlanta apartment building that burned down is making things worse for tenants.

They argue that not only is the management at Bell Collier Village negligent for the fire, they aren’t letting people inside to get their belongings.

Erica Armstrong told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes that she lived in a building that wasn’t even affected by the fire. But earlier this month, the property managers terminated all leases, regardless of if they lived in affected units.

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“It’s not right! Every night those people go home to a bed, they go home to a home,” Armstrong said.

She says they were given a small window to get their things, but were given less than 24-hour notice.

“I need 24 hours to fly or drive back to Atlanta to pick up certain items I need in my apartment,” she said.

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Fernandes called and emailed the property owners to get answers for the residents. They responded asking for her questions. She sent them, but did not receive answers.

“I don’t have any clothes,” she said. “You know you work hard in life, and you have things in your possession that are meaningful to you.”

Now, a third party is going into every unit and boxing up everyone’s things, so she is afraid she’ll never get her belongings back.

Bell Partners replied to Fernandes and told her that they understand the urgency and are using a third-party service because it is safe and organized.

“We appreciate the urgency and complexity of the situation. We are working with retrieval and recovery specialists to develop a safe and organized content removal process, as the site is not accessible given deteriorating and therefore hazardous conditions. Details will be shared in the coming days. We very much appreciate your continued understanding in this matter.”

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'Saved or lost forever:' Residents of burned apartments still waiting to retrieve belongings

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