‘Good thing I wasn’t sleeping:’ Residents leave everything behind to escape DeKalb apartment fire

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A fire at a DeKalb County apartment complex may have cost several families everything they own, but they won’t know until they can get back inside.

Fire crews were called to the Waterford Manor Apartments on Covington Road late Wednesday night.

Officials say that when crews arrived they could see heavy fire coming from the bottom two floors of one of the complex’s five buildings.

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They were able to get the fire under control in less than 15 minutes. Firefighters say four units and a laundry room were affected by the fire, but they don’t yet know the extent of the damage.

Kyran Pascal lived in one of the apartments affected by the fire.

He said he was in his bedroom when he smelled smoke. He looked around his kitchen for the source of the smell and when he returned to his bedroom, he noticed the curtain was on fire. He grabbed his phone and ran from the building, leaving everything else behind.

“It’s a good thing I wasn’t sleeping,” he told Channel 2 Action News crews. “Right now, I am upset. I am really upset.”

Pascal says he can’t get back into his apartment to see if any of his possessions survived.

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The American Red Cross is on scene and working with Pascal and one other resident who has been identified. Crews are still working to identify the other residents.

No one was injured in the fire. Investigators are still working to determine the cause.

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