More than 180 residents had their homes damaged or destroyed in a major fire Aug. 19 at Buckhead’s Avana on Main apartments.
The fire was discovered shortly before 1 p.m. at 517 Main St., part of the Avana complex next to the Lindbergh Center MARTA Station. Firefighters from three stations responded as the blaze spread through the attic of the four-story building and eventually caused a partial building collapse, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. AFRD did not immediately respond to questions about the cause of the fire and its damages.
Joshua Crowder, a photojournalist at SCAD Atlanta whose images of the blaze appear with this story, lives near the apartment complex. He went to the fire scene around 1 p.m.
“The fire seemed to spread from the middle [of the building],” Crowder said. “There were firefighters stationed in the parking garage just west of the point of origin to stop the spread that way, but by 1:20 p.m., the fire had already spread to the southwest corner of the building. The residents and neighbors were lined up across the street in worry about what the next steps are.”
The fire was under control around 2:30 p.m., Crowder estimated.
The American Red Cross of Georgia had about 40 Disaster Action Team volunteers and staff members offering assistance both in-person and virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to spokesperson Sherry Nicholson. Passion City Church on Garson Drive offered its site for Red Cross relief services.
The Red Cross assisted 182 residents from 104 households, according to Nicholson. That included assistance with temporary lodging, food, clothing, personal care items and such health services as replacements for lost prescription medicines. Case workers will continue to assist the residents. Any affected resident who has not yet received help can contact the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.
The best way for others to help those affected by the fire and other disasters is to donate money to the Red Cross to support its free services, according to Nicholson. For more information, people can call the same 1-800-733-2767 as those seeking assistance, or see redcross.org.
Photos by Joshua Crowder.