Athens officials give update on major apartment fire

Fire tears through a building at the University Oaks apartments on Nov. 18, 2022 (Credit: Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services, Facebook) (Supplied)

Firefighters who battled a huge structure fire at University Oaks Apartments in Athens have released new details and an update on current conditions.

Building M of the multi-family structure located at 2360 West Broad Street went up in flames around 5:27 p.m on Nov. 18.

Fourteen units were damaged by the blaze, 12 of which were occupied by families.

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According to the American Red Cross, 19 adults and 8 children were able to receive assistance after the incident. Some others were able to stay with family or friends to get back on their feet. 

There were no injuries reported.

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Fire tears through a building at the University Oaks apartments on Nov. 18, 2022. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)

"We believe that the time of day and the fact that these apartments had in-date, and working smoke alarms contributed to early warning and time for escape", says Battalion Chief Nate Moss. He continues, "Events like these are a sobering reminder to check dates on our own smoke alarms and to regularly test them."

The cause of the fire is still unknown. Officials said they are still investigating it.