Residents displaced after 2-alarm apartment fire

ATLANTA - More than a dozen people are out of their homes after a fire ripped through a northeast Atlanta apartment building late Wednesday night. 

It happened at the Ansley Forest apartments located in the 1600 block of Piedmont Avenue around 10:40 p.m.

Mathias Hungler said he and his friends saw embers coming from the building Wednesday night and rushed inside the burning building to evacuate residents before firefighters arrived.

“We ran from door to door banging on the door until everybody came to that door and left,” said Hungler.

VIDEO REPORT: 2-alarm fire breaks out at Atlanta apartment

Hungler said he and his friends emptied two extinguishers trying to put the fire out and when they couldn’t they started knocking on doors.

“I was in the scouts and we worked a lot with the fire department so I had all that training and I just needed to go in and try to put it out and if I could not put it out, get everybody out,” said Hungler. 

Fire officials said the entire building is uninhabitable. The fire was contained to 12 units, five were damaged by the fire. The rest incurred smoke and water damage.  Atlanta Fire said 40 residents are displaced and the Red Cross is assisting. 

Atlanta Fire said the fire started when a resident threw out a cigarette on their back deck. The fire is being ruled accidental and officials said it does not appear that person will face charges

Fire officials said no one was injured.