Donations pour in after massive Buckhead, Atlanta, apartment complex fire displaces hundreds

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL ) — A massive fire destroyed an apartment complex in Buckhead early Wednesday afternoon leaving more than 100 residents homeless.

Yolanda Forbes told CBS46 News she’s still in shock, trying to comprehend Wednesday’s tragedy.

What started as a Grandmother’s dream vacation to celebrate her granddaughter’s second birthday, quickly turned into a nightmare at the Avana On Main apartment complex.

“I mean it could’ve killed us in there, that’s my granddaughter,” Yolanda Forbes said.

“I came out to get the trash out, when I came out there was smoke all over the place,” Forbes explained.

Moments later just after 1 p.m., flames began engulfing the building. Forbes told CBS46 News there were no alarms to warn residents, just maintenance crews.

“They were knocking on everybody’s door. If you have an alarm system set up and if it’s working why are you knocking on the doors,” Forbes asked.

Multiple residents confirmed Forbes claim. Forbes told CBS46 she feels lucky to be alive, but devastated that her daughter and nearly two-month old granddaughter are now homeless. Forbes’s daughter said the complex offered to put the family in a hotel for a week. After that week, to relocate to another unit her rent would increase over $1000 per month.

“Why should she be penalized for their negligence because the air condition was the one that messed up,” Forbes said.

Forbes said the thought of moving into a hotel in the middle of a pandemic, is frightening and potentially deadly.

“I am an asthmatic, I’m high risk, I don’t want to be around people when I don’t know who has coronavirus,” Forbes explained.

“I just grabbed anything small that I could and grabbed my mother and we ran out,” said Ken Cho, whose family owns Sip the Experience which is part of the building. The cafe is currently damaged and the owners can not even go inside. “It’s a big part of our lives and us having that loss is a big big loss to us.”

The American Red Cross is helping families out and says around 90 units at the complex were damaged.

“In the scope of apartment fires, this is the largest one we’ve had in a very long time,” said Sherry Nicholson, Spokesperson for the American Red Cross.

Due to the pandemic, the organization is putting families up in hotel rooms instead of setting up a shelter while also providing food, clothing and personal care items.

“When something like this happens, you see how quickly your life can change and you know, our hearts go out to the people who are affected and have now lost everything and are starting over,” said Nicholson.

CBS46 News reached out to the Avana On Main multiple times for answers. Management at the complex has not yet responded.

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