6 Displaced After Early Morning Fire at Cobb County Apartment Complex, Investigated as Arson

Six residents were displaced early Monday morning after a fire broke out at the Residence at Riverside apartment complex in South Cobb County. Authorities are now investigating the blaze as a possible case of arson.

The fire began around 3:45 a.m. in one of the units. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames pouring from the ground-floor living room window, the front door, and spreading through the breezeway.

“Basically, we had no idea. We were definitely in deep sleep,” said resident Monique Motley, who escaped with her daughter. “My daughter and I could barely breathe. We were woken up out of our sleep. Very exhausting actually.”

District Chief Justin Green of Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services said the fire is being investigated as potential arson since the unit where the blaze originated did not have electricity connected. Witnesses also reported seeing someone intentionally start the fire.

Firefighters extinguished the flames within five minutes, preventing further spread. One apartment was severely damaged, while three others suffered smoke damage. Two of those units were unoccupied.

“Our crews arrived quickly and located the seed of the fire and extinguished very quickly,” Green said. “We did perform a search, but everyone had self-evacuated.”

No injuries were reported, but the six displaced residents lost personal belongings, including new school clothes for Motley’s daughter. “All her stuff is wet. I just bought my daughter new clothes and it’s wet, black in our house,” Motley said.

The American Red Cross has been contacted to assist residents affected by the fire. It remains unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes.