DULUTH — Firefighters rescued multiple residents from a late-night apartment fire in Duluth after heavy smoke and flames trapped occupants on upper floors of a multi-story building, officials said.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services responded at approximately 11:52 p.m. Monday to reports of smoke entering apartments at the Cortland Duluth Apartments, located at 1335 Herrington Road NW.
Crews arrived within minutes to find active fire and heavy smoke coming from a lower-level unit of a 28-unit building. During the initial size-up, firefighters identified several residents who were unable to safely evacuate due to fire conditions and smoke spread throughout the structure.
Firefighters immediately initiated rescue operations, using both ground ladders and aerial ladder trucks to reach residents trapped on balconies and inside upper-floor units. Multiple occupants were safely rescued from the building. Three individuals were evaluated and treated by medical crews at the scene and were later released. No serious injuries were reported.
Once all occupants were removed, firefighters advanced multiple hose lines and deployed elevated master streams to bring the fire under control. Due to concerns about the building’s structural stability, incident commanders transitioned from an offensive interior attack to a defensive strategy after evacuations were completed.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control at approximately 1:27 a.m. Search crews later confirmed that the building was fully evacuated.
Apartment management reported that 26 of the 28 units in the building were occupied at the time of the fire. Most units sustained fire, smoke or water damage, displacing dozens of residents. The American Red Cross is working with property management and county partners to assist those affected with temporary housing and recovery needs.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
As previously reported, Gwinnett County firefighters have responded to multiple apartment fires in recent years that required ladder rescues and large overnight responses. Past incidents have shown how quickly smoke can spread through shared walls and stairwells in multi-family buildings, often trapping residents on upper floors and prompting exterior rescues. Fire officials have also noted that structural concerns can require a shift to defensive operations once evacuations are complete, with residents frequently displaced even when injuries are avoided.
A large response was dispatched to the scene, including four engines, two ladder trucks, a squad, a rescue unit, three medical units, a hazardous materials response unit, air and lighting support, a fire investigator, a public information officer and multiple command staff vehicles.
