Duluth family devastated after apartment fire
A devastating fire engulfed an apartment complex in Gwinnett County last week. Two sisters had to jump from their second-story balcony to escape the flames. These two sisters lost almost everything in the fire. The community does what it does best in times of tragedy by lending a helping hand.
DULUTH, Ga. – In what seems like a constant cycle, Cassie and Jane Kim must once again deal with loss after their month-and-a-half-old apartment caught fire on November 11.
“Once you start to calm down and things are pretty much normal and maybe your luck is turning, something like this happens,” Cassie and Jane said.
The two sisters and a boyfriend escaped from the Montrose Berkeley Lake Apartments unit in Duluth jumping from their second story balcony. The fall left Cassie with a brain hemorrhage and in a sling. Jane wears a back corset.
“I think the initial shock of everything, like when we first fell, the wind just knocked us out,” the sisters said. “I remember crawling down the street to lean on a car to catch our breath.”
Gwinnet County firefighters say the fire started in the kitchen of another unit, but quickly spread. Ten apartments were damaged or destroyed.
The Kims were among the unluckiest, losing everything, including memories of their mother and father who died of medical issues when they were teenagers.
Cassie and Jane were orphaned as teenagers after losing both parents over the past decade.
“A lot of our parents’ things were in that fire and just like the clothes we still had from our parents are all destroyed now,” Cassie and Jane said.
The fire also took one of their cats, but four others survived.
With Thanksgiving just days away, they are grateful for what they have, each other and the help of the community.
“I think things like this really give us hope for people, how good they can be. We really didn’t expect all this support. It’s amazing,” they said.
Cassie and Jane said they had renters insurance, but it wouldn’t cover everything.
A GoFundMe was created Wednesday afternoon and over $8,000 has already been raised.
