Man dies after fire engulfs apartment in east Athens

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) A fire in Athens has claimed the life of a man and displaced several people in an apartment building. <br /> <br /> Authorities say 26-year-old Tamaris Gene Meadows was found badly burned and unconscious inside the east Athens apartment when firefighters arrived shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday. He was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. <br /> <br /> Athens-Clarke County police said a 26-year-old woman jumped from an upstairs bedroom window to escape the blaze. She told police she was awakened by screams from downstairs, where Meadows was found. <br /> <br /> The Athens Banner-Herald reports that one of the first police officers to arrive said in a report that the heat was so intense that he and other officers were unable to get past the apartment's threshold. <br />