GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities charged two people in connection with a massive apartment fire that happened outside of Duluth, days before the new year.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said 18-year-old Gary McKinley and a juvenile were arrested Tuesday. The two were seen discharging fireworks in the breezeway at the apartment complex the day of the fire, investigators said.
On Monday night, fire crews were called to the Landmark at Bella Vista Apartments on Satellite Boulevard just after 8:30 p.m. Cell phone video shows the massive flames engulfing the building.
"When firefighters were actually on their way to the fire you could see significant columns of smoke," said Donald Strother, the assistant public information officer for Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services.
Gwinnett officials said three people were hurt trying to escape the fire.
Deyanira Padilla-Delgado said her roommate survived by jumping out of a window.
"My apartment caught fire," she explained. "And everyone tried to jump from a high distance or low distance and ran."
The flames and the heat were so intense, part of the structure collapsed.
Gwinnett fire investigators said McKinley and the juvenile admitted to leaving behind spent fireworks on the wood railing and on the wood floor as they went inside a friend's apartment, who was out of town.
The American Red Cross of Georgia told 11Alive that 11 families were displaced, leaving about 29 people without a home just before the new year. Disaster volunteers were brought in to help the families with some of their essential needs.
McKinley and the juvenile - whose name is not being released because of his or her age - are charged with criminal damage to property in the second-degree. Authorities said the felony charge stems from their reckless actions.
"This incident is a prime example of why it is important to use fireworks responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws and safety regulations," Gwinnett officials said in a news release.
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