By Caroline Silva
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — Three young children died Wednesday after an apartment fire in southwest Atlanta, city officials said.
The fire broke out at around 3 p.m. at the Country Oaks Apartments in the 300 block of Fairburn Road, which is just west of I-285 in the Fairburn Mays neighborhood. Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith said there were heavy flames coming from a second-story apartment and all residents had made it out when fire crews arrived.
The children — ages 3, 2 and 10 months — were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation and pronounced dead, Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters at the scene. Their names were not released.
“As a father of a child that grew up in this very similar community, my heart goes out to this family, as we’re dealing with a tragic situation where three children — three infants — passed away today through smoke inhalation,” Dickens said.
Two adults were also inside the unit when the blaze started, fire department spokesperson Anaré Holmes said. Their conditions were not released.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that most fire-related deaths are caused by smoke inhalation rather than burns.
As a fire spreads within a building, it consumes available oxygen, while burning materials release harmful substances and fumes, the agency wrote on its website. Heat and smoke are also hazards that can burn the respiratory tract.
Smith said the fire remains under investigation but “all indications are leading toward electrical.” The damage was contained to one upstairs apartment within the complex, officials said.
It’s the second fire at the complex within the past year. In July, 12 units were damaged when a building went up in flames. No one was injured, officials told Channel 2 Action News .
The closest hydrant to the fire wasn’t working at the time, but Holmes told Channel 2 that crews tapped into another hydrant, and their ability to fight the blaze was not impacted.
On Wednesday, Smith confirmed that firefighters faced no issues getting water. After the blaze was extinguished, all hydrants were checked, and Smith confirmed they were all operational.
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