BUFORD — An early morning fire destroys several units at the Windridge Apartment complex in Buford on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.
The incident took place in the 2000 block of Windridge Drive in Buford. Fire crews responded to the fire at 8:31 a.m. following a resident’s report that smoke and flames could be seen in their apartment.
When crews with Gwinnett County Fire arrived, they could see heavy smoke billowing out of the eaves of the two-story apartment building. Evacuation of the residents had already begun by the time fire personnel arrived.
“After a walk around the structure was completed and no additional life-safety hazards identified, three fire attack crews were assigned to enter three separate units. Visibility decreased significantly as fire attack lines were advanced halfway up the stairs,” said Lt. Donald Strother, Public Information Officer with the Gwinnett County Fire Department. “As water was being discharged into the dark rooms, fire could be heard above them in the attic space. Heavy fire involvement vented the roof and caused extreme damage to the back of the units.”
It was said that the firewall in between four of the eight units in the building gave firefighters the additional time they needed to get the fire under control. Crews searched all eight units twice and everyone was accounted for. No injuries were reported.
According to Gwinnett County Fire Services, the blaze was brought under control at approximately 9:30 a.m.
A resident told firefighters that her smoke alarm alerted her to the fire.
A fire investigator has responded to the scene to determine the cause of the fire however, the cause of the fire has not been released yet.
— Staff Reports
