More Than 20 Apartments Damaged In Marietta Fire

MARIETTA, GA -- At least 20 apartments were damaged early Saturday evening in a Marietta fire. Firefighters responded shortly before 6 pm to 720 Franklin Gateway to reports of an apartment fire. Responding units found heavy fire throughout the upper floors of building two and immediately began evacuating residents of both buildings one and two.

The alarm was handled by about 45 firefighters. The flames caused significant heat damage to building one and almost reached an an adjacent apartment complex. The fire was contained to the single structure. Building two is made up of twenty individual units, all of which have been severely damaged.

A structural collapse forced firefighters to battle the fire exclusively from the exterior. Shortly after the partial collapse, two separate residents notified fire personnel that their dogs were still trapped inside. With the top of the building still in flames, fire fighters were able to safely remove the three canines from the structure. No injuries were attributed to the fire, and only one person was transported with a non-life-threatening medical complaint.

This fire remains under investigation.