Dozens of people were displaced by a Duluth apartment fire that broke out early Monday morning.
The fire at the Cortland Portico Apartments on Preston Park Drive NW was reported around 3 a.m., with multiple callers describing heavy fire spread across different parts of various buildings.
"Firefighters arrived at 3:08 a.m. and reported a three-four split, multi-family dwelling with heavy fire showing," said Gwinett Fire & Emergency Services Capt. Ryan McGiboney on Monday evening. "Firefighters advanced fire hoses up the stairwell towards the fire while other crews began evacuating the residents."
After rescuing an occupant who had been briefly trapped inside his apartment, firefighters were forced to entirely withdraw from the building due to what McGiboney described as "deteriorating structural conditions."
"Once ladder trucks were able to knock the bulk of the fire down, firefighters re-entered the building to complete a search for fire victims," he said. "Apartment management informed firefighters that they had made contact with all residents to confirm that all residents had escaped safely."
The fire was brought under control at 5:25 a.m., and firefighters remained on scene until just after 11 a.m.
The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the residents that were displaced by the fire. McGiboney said that "at least 81" people were confirmed by apartment management to have resided in the affected building.
The cause of this fire now under investigation.
