Fire Burns at Apartment Building For Second Time in 7 Months

A vacant Peachtree Corners apartment building in the midst of being renovated was heavily damaged by a fire that sent one firefighter to the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Gwinnett Fire spokesman Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the firefighter was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth for evaluation of a heat-related illness, but he was OK late Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 6500 block of Hillandale Drive. It was brought under control before 3 p.m.

No other injuries were reported.

Rutledge said it was the second time since February the building had a reported fire.

“Renovation work was being done this week to install sheetrock and the building was scheduled to be re-occupied within the next few months,” Rutledge said in a news release. “There was no work being done on the building today, and the contractor reportedly ran a vagrant out of the building earlier in the morning.”

Heavy fire was showing when crews arrived on scene. Firefighters were forced to fight the blaze from the outside due to a partial collapse of the roof and the advancement of the flames. They used multiple hand lines and an aerial ladder truck to control the fire.

The blaze caused heavy damage to the 10-unit building, Rutledge said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined and it is under active investigation.