3-Alarm Fire Destroys High-End Atlanta Apartment Building, 2 Arrested
A Friday night blaze at the two-building, high-end Reserve at LaVista Walk apartment complex in northeast Atlanta left more than 100 residents displaced as of Monday morning.
All 155 units in one of the mid-rise apartment towers have been destroyed, Yakov Stein, the registered agent for the building's owner, New Jersey-based Avenium, told Bisnow Monday morning.
Residents weren't allowed to re-enter the 130-unit second building until Monday afternoon to retrieve their belongings, Atlanta News First reported, after it was being investigated for structural integrity.
The three-alarm fire broke out after two people lit fireworks on the roof of the apartment complex, which ignited the blaze around 10:35 p.m. Friday night, according to Atlanta police.
#HappeningNow Dozen of people were forced to evacuate this morning after a massive fire at Reserve at Lavista Walk complex. No injuries thankfully. @ATLNewsFirst pic.twitter.com/j5nkGApnhw
— Bridget Spencer (@NewswithBridget) November 11, 2023
Firefighters worked through Saturday morning to put down the flame and contain hot spots, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Police over the weekend said the Red Cross was assisting 28 residents whose units were destroyed in the fire.
“We’re not 100% sure of the story on the second building, but one building is totally uninhabitable,” Stein told Bisnow Monday morning.
Atlanta police arrested Charnelle Gunn and Robert Stokes on charges of reckless conduct and criminal property damage, WSB-TV reported.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens hailed the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department’s response to the fire, which helped to prevent any fatalities, according to a press statement. The AJC reported that 17 people were treated on-site for smoke inhalation and minor injuries, while one cat died.
“The City is working with our partners to ensure the affected families have the resources and support they need while they face such a challenging time,” Dickens said in the statement. “My thoughts remain with the families and the City will continue to find additional ways to support their road to recovery.”
Residents of the building gathered nearby Monday morning in the hopes of retrieving their cars from the parking garage and personal items that survived the fire from their units, 11 Alive reported. One resident told the TV station the property owner hasn't offered assistance or to pay for hotel rooms.
Residents told the AJC that fire alarms had gone off in the building in recent weeks and that the sprinkler system didn't activate at the time of the fire.
At least 15 people and families started GoFundMe pages to help cover the costs of being displaced and losing personal belongings, WSB-TV reported. Roads around the building remain closed, as are some retailers in surrounding buildings.
Built in 2007 by Atlantic Residential, according to Haddow & Co., the Reserve at LaVista Walk sits on 4.4 acres near the Interstate 75/85 interchange overpass that infamously collapsed in 2017 due to a fire.
The two-building complex surrounds a four-level parking garage and has 11K SF of street-level retail. The apartment units at the property average 953 SF, and amenities soon after it opened included a resort-style swimming pool, courtyard living room, grill cabanas and a cybercafé. Rents averaged $1,797 a month as of the third quarter, according to Haddow & Co. data.
Avenium purchased the Reserve at LaVista Walk in 2021 for $90M from Edge Principal Advisors, according to Fulton County records.
Stein said Monday morning that Atlanta Fire Rescue Department officials hadn't given him additional information on what, if any, damage had been done to the second building of the apartment complex, nor when residents may be allowed to return to collect valuables.
Stein declined to offer his title with Avenium, nor what other apartments in Atlanta the firm owns, but he is listed in public records as the registered agent for the firm. Stein said the firm is working with the city of Atlanta and local churches to address the needs of displaced residents.
“We’re working around the clock, trying to figure out what to do here for everybody, but we don’t have clarity on that,” Stein said.
Stein credited a property manager of the Reserve at LaVista Walk for her fast action in alerting residents to the fire and helping usher them to safety.
“The property manager was a lifesaver at the property. Literally, I think she saved lives,” he said. “She got everybody out.”
He also declined to comment on the police charges that fireworks caused the blaze.
While Stein said it was too early to know where displaced residents will end up, he said some residents have been placed in area hotels and some have moved in with family “to weather the storm.”
“It’s a very serious issue for us, and we’re trying to do everything we can to help them. But it’s a work in progress,” he said.
UPDATE, NOV. 13, 4:20 P.M. ET: This story has been updated to reflect that residents were reportedly allowed to re-enter the 1000 building at the Reserve at LaVista Walk, which was damaged by the fire but not destroyed.
