Still no word on what caused a weekend fire that displaced several families in Baldwin.
Fire Chief Joe Roy says units were called to 108 King Street at 5:14 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived on the scene they found a large, two story residential structure on fire. Roy says the structure’s basement had been converted into four apartments and there were four families living there.
“Units faced heavy fire conditions, protruding from the top floor and out of the roof,” Roy says in an emailed response to questions about the fire. “Personnel quickly ensured that all occupants had successfully exited the structure and that no one was entrapped.”
According to Roy, one of the residents stated he awoke to the smell of smoke and started getting everyone out of the building. He was assisted by personnel from a Habersham County Med Unit (#4) which happened to be passing by at the time of the fire.
Some 24 firefighters from Baldwin, Habersham County, and Lee Arrendale Correctional Institute (LACI) worked to contain and extinguish the fire. They were on scene for 9-10 hours, Roy says.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
“I would like to commend and extend my appreciation to all of the dedicated firefighters who assisted with this tragedy. Without them, we would’ve never had been able to minimize this incident,” Chief Roy says. He also extends his gratitude to the Baldwin Dairy Queen for donating biscuits to feed the firefighters and families affected by the fire.
The Red Cross was brought in to assist the families.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined.
