An Atlanta neighborhood is reeling after three young children died Wednesday in an apartment fire on the city’s southwest side.
The kids — ages 4, 1 and 9 months — were identified as Jhacari, Xyla and Xhalia White.
“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,” Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters at the scene after the blaze had been contained.
Heavy flames spewed out of a second-story unit at the Country Oaks Apartments in the 300 block of Fairburn Road around 3 p.m. The complex is just west of I-285 in the Fairburn Mays neighborhood.
Atlanta fire Chief Roderick Smith confirmed all residents had made it out of the building when fire crews arrived.
The fire department said the children were all taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the children Thursday, but said autopsies had not yet been done.
“At this time, we would like to emphasize that there is no definitive cause of death, as the autopsies have not yet been performed,” said senior medical examiner investigator Brian Jost Reents.
The children and their father were helped out of the apartment by a neighbor, fire department spokesperson Anaré Holmes said. The father was also taken to Grady, but the neighbor refused medical transport, Holmes added.
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 cause of the fire remained 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.
Atlanta City Councilwoman Andrea Boone said in a statement that she and other council members have maintained close ties with the families affected by the July fire. She added officials are committed to supporting the family and friends impacted by Wednesday’s tragedy.
“It is with profound sorrow that we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family who lost three precious children in this devastating fire. The city of Atlanta stands united in grief and support with the entire community, which has been deeply affected by this tragic event,” Boone said.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
The Country Oaks complex is gated but open to pedestrians. A few windows in the burned building were boarded up Thursday, but the structure remained intact. A police patrol car was parked outside the damaged building.
Maintenance workers asked a reporter and photographer from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to leave the property shortly after they arrived.
Fulton County property records show the apartment complex is owned by the Benoit Group, a real estate developer. The complex’s website states that the property is managed by the Capital Realty Group, a New York-based private equity real estate group that focuses on affordable housing.
Neither company returned multiple requests for comment Thursday, and no one answered a call to the apartment complex’s local office number.
The Country Oaks Apartments is among 272 of the metro area’s persistently dangerous complexes, according to the AJC’s “Dangerous Dwellings” investigation that looked into serious crimes, lax maintenance and other hazards in Atlanta neighborhoods.
Police reported 153 crimes at this address from 2017 through July 2023. They included a homicide in May 2017, 66 aggravated assaults, five robberies, three rapes, two other sexual offenses and a child molestation.
In July 2022, Atlanta announced that the complex was on a list of properties to be targeted because of chronic crime and condition problems. Since Country Oaks was added to that list, the city has recorded 13 more code complaints at the complex, including reports of vacant units filled with trash and inoperable electric outlets and lights.
— Staff writer Henri Hollis contributed to this article.
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