Major fires consume Duluth, Decatur, Atlanta apartments on Christmas

DULUTH, Ga. - Between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, metro Atlanta authorities were called to several apartments around Georgia to put out fires. Some were fatal.

Randall Street, Atlanta

Residents at an apartment on Randall Street in Atlanta were left recovering Christmas morning after a fire ripped through the complex the night before.

Red Cross volunteers were able to coordinate aid for 10 people.

Constitution Road fire

Constitution Road SE, Atlanta

On Christmas Eve, around 4:56 p.m., the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department worked a heavy structure fire on the 1100 block of Constitution Road in southeast Atlanta.

While the fire team extinguished the fire, authorities worked to find a suspect they believed to be responsible.

One male was detained and taken to the Fulton County Jail. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is still being pursued.

The two-story, multi-family dwelling was boarded up after suffering severe damage. No one was reported hurt.

Bernice Street fire (FOX 5 Atlanta)

Bernice Street SW, Atlanta

Captain Lem Mullins with the City of Atlanta Fire Department interviewed with FOX 5 Atlanta Sunday morning about a burning home on the 700 block of Bernice Street in southwest Atlanta.

He said while there were occupants in the home at the time of the fire, they were evacuated and no injuries have been reported.

Mullins said fire rescue teams have been struggling to extinguish fires during the freezing weather Atlanta is experiencing.

"Here in the city of Atlanta, you know we have four seasons. It seems that the seasons all happened in one day," he said. "With the ice, it's something that we're not prepared for, but we do a good job overcoming everything."

Mullins said seven nearby stations showed up to help put the fire out as soon as possible.

Thompson Circle, Decatur

Neighbor says he witnessed fire that killed father-son duo

A DeKalb County man says he watched helplessly as firemen tried to battle the blaze that would eventually kill his neighbor and his adult son on Christmas.

At around 3:15 a.m., fire crews were called to the 2800 block of Thompson Circle where officials were told two people were still stuck inside a burning home.

A father and son were recovered from the scene. One of the men suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken to an area hospital where he did not survive. The second man died in the fire.

Authorities said six other inhabitants at the home are being taken care of by the local American Red Cross.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

Preston Park Drive fire (FOX 5 Atlanta)

Preston Park Drive, Duluth

After an apartment on Preston Park Drive in Duluth went up in flames Sunday morning, the fire department teamed up with the local American Red Cross Disaster Action Team to battle the blaze.

So far, eight families totaling 31 people were offered emergency aid.

The Disaster Action Team expects that number to increase significantly in the next few days.