Cornelia Apartment Fire Ruled Arson
The following story was printed in the Nov. 20, 2019 edition of The Northeast Georgian.
BY ERIC PEREIRA
Authorities are requesting assistance in determining who is responsible for an arson at a Cornelia apartment complex Monday morning.
A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible.
Cornelia Fire Marshal Josh Hazle said fire units responded to 459 Irvin St. for a structure fire around 1:45 a.m. Monday.
“Fire crews arrived and found the apartment building under heavy fire conditions,” he said.
Nobody lived at this location because this was the site of a fire on Aug. 30 which displaced 13 people. After that August scene, Hazle said there was nothing suspicious about the fire and that all accidental causes could not be ruled out, as previously reported by The Northeast Georgian.
The apartment building had already been considered a total loss by the insurance company after the August fire. There were no reported injuries at the fire scene.
“Firefighters made a quick search of the lower apartment units and found no victims,” Hazle said. “Firefighters were unable to search any of the two upper units due to the building already beginning to collapse.”
Both the Cornelia and State Fire Marshal’s office will continue to investigate and follow up on any leads. The fire was knocked down around 2:28 a.m.
“The arson occurred at apartments 457 and 459 off of Irvin Street in Cornelia. The side of the apartment complex where the fire began suffered major damages,” said State Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King in a press release.
“The units were vacant and no utilities have been connected to them since a fire at the same location on August 30. It is believed that this morning’s fire started in the basement of apartment 459B.”
Hazle said a neighbor had made the initial 911 call Monday morning. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Georgia Arson Control Tip Line at 1-800-282-5804. All information is kept confidential.
Hazle said the Cornelia Fire Department received assistance from Habersham County Emergency Services, Baldwin Fire Department, Lee Arrendale Corrections Institute, State Fire Marshals Office and the Cornelia Police Department.
