Reserve at LaVista Walk apartment fire: Why it spread so fast
LaVista Walk Apartment: Why did fire spread so quickly?
The Atlanta Fire Department wants to find out why the Reserve at LaVista Walk Apartments burned so quickly leaving hundreds of people without a home. Investigators want to determine when the building was last inspected and was the sprinkler system working.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Fire Department is investigating why the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments burned so quickly, leaving hundreds of people without a home.
Investigators want to determine when the building was last inspected and if the sprinkler system was working.
Residents at the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments said they helplessly watched their homes go up in flames Friday night. They did not hear smoke alarms or see sprinkler systems activated.
Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Rod Smith explains why that was.
"A typical fire will burn upwards, where you will have activation of the alarms as well as the sprinkler system. However, this one started in the roof, so it was a complete anomaly, and so, the systems will not detect that until later into the alarm," the chief revealed.
Fortunately, all the residents made it out safely.
Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments fire aftermath
SKYFOX Drone shot these images of the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments, located on the corner of LaVista and Cheshire Bridge roads, after a 3-alarm fire sparked by firefighters tore through half the complex. There were concerns of structural integrity on Nov. 13, 2023.
Chief Smith says the first units arrived on the scene at Cheshire Bridge and LaVista roads six minutes after they got the call for the three-alarm fire.
The chief says there is a thorough investigation underway to determine why the fire, which was allegedly started by two people shooting fireworks on the roof of the building, burned so quickly.
"This is a three-prong investigation that goes on. One fire origination, where we start with our fire investigation tours. We, too, look at code enforcement, our fire marshal’s office, and then we look at the bureau of buildings. So, we look at and compile all of those to see what we were looking at, to that point," Chief Smith responded.
Robert Stokes and Charnelle Gunn were charged with criminal damage to property in the first degree and reckless conduct. Both were booked into the Fulton County Jail.
From left to right: Robert Stokes and Charnelle Gunn (Credit: Fulton County Sheriffs Office)
"So, we've had no direct contact with the suspects. They were arrested by APD. However, our investigators were on the scene, and they are working collaboratively to come to some resolve in that space," said Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Rod Smith.
Fire officials say the earliest they will release the inspection documents is Wednesday.