ATLANTA — Crews extinguished a large fire at a well-known, vacant apartment complex on Monday.
Atlanta fire officials said at 5:30 a.m. Monday, crews received reports of a fire at the Forest Cove Apartments at New Town Circle.
When crews arrived, they found heavy fire from the vacant apartment building.
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No injuries have been reported.
Investigators believe squatters started a fire to keep warm and the fire got out of control, destroying several buildings.
Channel 2 Action News has reported for years about issues at the complex.
The Code Enforcement Unit investigated in July 2021 and found the apartments had 150 violations of city codes.
Officers found broken windows, open units, and vacant units that were improperly boarded. They also found damaged siding, abandoned, inoperable vehicles, severe overgrowth, burned buildings, and areas of accumulated debris and trash.
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Tenants complained of mold, water leaks, and even ceilings collapsing.
A judge ordered the apartment complex to be destroyed in 2021, but that demolition has been delayed by a lawsuit between the city and the property owner.
According to Atlanta city officials, there have been four fires at Forest Cove Apartments since it was supposed to be demolished.
In May 2022, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens signed legislation allocating the first $1.5 million of a planned $9.1 million investment to support the relocation of residents.
The city says they are ready to move forward with the planned demolition regardless of the current litigation because the repeated fires are causing a safety risk for the entire neighborhood.
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