Several dozen displaced by apartment complex fire in Cobb County

MARIETTA, Ga. - A devastating fire tore through an apartment building in Marietta Wednesday.

Residents at The Franklin on Franklin Gateway described running out of their apartments in their robes and pajamas and standing in the parking lot watching everything they owned go up in flames.

"It came all the way from that side, and spread to mine," said resident Vokke Okoro.

Okoro says she barely made it out of her unit as fire consumed the building. The apartment on the top floor was her home for more than 20 years.

"Everything is gone, totally gone. All my jewelry, it's gone!" said Okoro.

Residents say maintenance went door to door making sure everyone got out as the fierce fire raced through the building.

"We come out to flames, we don't know what's going on, we're confused. Everyone was evacuated, everyone is safe," said Janiesha Hunter. "But as far as the building, of course it's gone."

"I felt a bunch of heat, like I was sitting around a camp fire," recalled Luke Crisp. "I looked around the corner, and it was all in flames."

Lloyd Ringer works at the Atlanta United Training Center just down the street. 

"I was at work, and I saw the smoke and flames in the sky," said Ringer.

He raced home to make sure his wife was okay. To his relief, she was standing outside, and was safe.

"I'm glad my wife got out, this is horrible" said Ringer.

"I looked and saw it traveling from the roof, and it kept going and going," said Britan Rubin Daniels.

Daniels recently moved from New York to Georgia to start a business. Now, all he has is his phone, car keys, and his pajamas.

"To see everything I worked for go up in flames … It's tragic. It hurts," said Daniels.

Fire officials say 20 units were damaged or destroyed. The American Red Cross has volunteered to assist those who were affected. They will provide comfort kits, direct client assistance and recovering planning.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.