DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — At least eight families are out of their homes after flames destroyed their apartment building Friday night.
The fire happened at Silver Oak Apartments on 1281 Brockett Road.
DeKalb County firefighters say the hydrants were not working properly, which made it harder to put out the fire. Firefighters say the cold weather is to blame for the problems they faced. Authorities told Channel 2's Jessica Jaglois the hydrants weren't working because of icing. She spoke with one of the 12 kids who lost all of their possessions in the fire.
Jemmilah Harriot talked about the things she lost in the blaze that destroyed her family's apartment.
"My Xbox, my new pair of shoes, my clothes and all my food," Harriot said.
Jaglois got cellphone video from a neighbor who was forced to leave when it seemed the flames would spread to her neighboring building.
"When I came outside and stood on my balcony, 'bang!' I saw just a blaze; just a high blaze of flames up in the sky. It was awful, awful, a awful sight to see," said neighbor Sharon Boykins.
Firefighters say they were able to put out the flames in 45 minutes, despite a number of hydrants not working properly.
"When we arrived we went to hook up to one of our hydrants and the hydrant was giving us insufficient pressure, so we went to two other hydrants and those two hydrants were giving us insufficient pressure," said DeKalb County Fire and Rescue Capt. Eric Johnson.
So firefighters had to run nearly a half mile of hose to reach the building, but by then, it was destroyed.
There were no injuries, but eight families, including Harriot's, have nowhere to go and nothing left.
"The only thing keeping me going was that my family wasn't in there. That we didn't get hurt and we're all well, that's my only blessing," resident Robin Johnson.
The Red Cross is assisting displaced families.