Nearly half of woman’s body seriously burned, 10 apartments destroyed in fire, DeKalb officials say

An apartment fire in DeKalb County left 10 apartments destroyed and sent one woman to the hospital in critical condition.

DeKalb County fire officials said just before 11 p.m., crews received reports of a fire at the Landing at Pleasantdale Apartments on Meadowglenn Village Lane.

When crews arrived, they noted heavy flames coming from the building.

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“Around 10:15, lots of banging and yelling get out. I check out my window; it’s an orange glow. I come outside; this whole building is halfway inflamed, engulfed,” resident Rufus Riddrs told Channel 2 Action News. “I ran in my kitchen, grab the fire extinguisher, another next-door neighbor grabbed his fire extinguisher and tried to put out the fire before paramedics and the fire department arrived.”

Officials confirmed 10 units were affected by the fire and that 19 people are displaced.

According to fire officials, several residents self-evacuated by jumping from a second-story balcony.

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“The dog was barking; the patio door was open; I came out and saw the big flame. I was yelling there’s a fire, there’s a fire,” resident Al Devo told Channel 2 Action News. “It was terrifying; It was blazing.”

Authorities said one woman was burned and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. According to crews, 30% of her body was burned due to the fire.

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Crews believe the fire began in the breezeway; however, there is no further information regarding the investigation.

The investigation into what caused the fire remains ongoing.

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