Lightning Ravages Milton Apartment; Arson Suspected In Other Fire

MILTON, GA — Three separate, and reportedly unrelated, fires ripped through Milton homes and neighborhoods this weekend.

Lightning is believed to have caused a 3-alarm fire that broke out Sunday night in a Deerfield apartment building, displacing about 40 residents, ripping through a roof, but not leading to any fire-related injuries.

The Milton Fire-Rescue Department first learned about the fire in the IMT Deerfield apartment complex's 17000 building around 10 p.m. Sunday, a short time after a strong storm rolled through the area. Residents reported a power surge around when the storm hit, in some cases knocking out AC systems.

Milton and Alpharetta firefighters responded to the fire on Deer Trail, which began in the 17000 building's attic. With help from Milton Police and the Red Cross, they managed to get residents of the building's 30 units out safely and to temporary new places to stay.

Crews managed to contain the flames to the single building. While hotspots remained into Monday morning, the fire was essentially under control within an hour. Most of the roof (and attic) is gone, though the building otherwise still stands. Even so, the structure suffered major damage and is not currently habitable.

This was the third consecutive night of significant fires in Milton, which the city said was "an unprecedented yet entirely unrelated sequence of events." Milton Fire Marshal Alex Fortner is investigating the three incidents.

On Friday night, a suspected arson destroyed an abandoned, roughly 1,500-square foot house on Highway 9, across from the Crooked Creek neighborhood. A man was arrested the following morning for alleged arson, and he remains in law enforcement custody.

Then, around 1 a.m. Sunday, Milton and Alpharetta firefighters responded to a fire in the Avensong neighborhood. That fire claimed one house, though fire crews managed to prevent major damage to two adjacent ones. That incident's official cause was undetermined as of Monday morning, though it does not appear to be suspicious

Sunday night's Deer Trail apartment fire is believed to have been the result of natural causes, the city said.

Milton residents already have reached out about helping those displaced in these recent fires.

Avensong neighbors appear to have started a collection to help the displaced homeowner there. Sarah Hoffman, with IMT Deerfield, has offered to coordinate assistance for those impacted by the apartment building fire; she can be reached at 770-99-06258 or sarah.hoffman@imtresidential.com.

In addition, people can support the Red Cross, which responded to Milton's requests on Sunday night, and generally helps out people displaced by fires.

The City of Milton said in a news release that it would like to offer thanks to its counterparts from Alpharetta, whose firefighters battled alongside Milton crews all three nights. The city also expressed its gratitude to the fire departments of Roswell, Johns Creek and Cherokee County who staffed and were poised to respond to Milton fire calls late Sunday as the city's own crews fought the Deer Trail fire.