The Brief
- Residents of the Bell Collier Village apartment complex are still unable to access their belongings 83 days after a fire caused by a rooftop party.
- Evan Olawsky, a resident, has been particularly affected, being unable to reclaim his World Series ring, despite his attempts to contact property management.
- Yasming Bradford’s situation highlights the emotional toll, as she is unable to recover her child’s remains and her grandparents’ last belongings, with the apartment management breaking their promises of retrieval.
- While property management claims to have been moving items to storage and deems some units a total loss, residents like Olawsky question why they can’t review their own belongings prior to disposal.
- The frustration with the management’s lack of empathy and care persists among residents, as they await the opportunity to recover their possessions before they are potentially gone forever.
ATLANTA – Nearly three months after a massive fire ravaged the Bell Collier Village apartment complex on Howell Mill Road, displaced residents are still waiting for a chance to retrieve their irreplaceable belongings.
The fire, which occurred 83 days ago, left hundreds without a home. According to fire investigators, the blaze was caused by a party of over 100 people on the rooftop of the building. “Somebody decided to start a propane grill using charcoal, which caused a large flame,” said Evan Olawsky, a resident of the complex. At the time of the fire, Olawsky, an employee of the Atlanta Braves, was out of town. Although his cat was rescued, he has not yet been permitted to retrieve his belongings, including a prized possession.
“My World Series ring from the 2021 world championship is still in there. It’s one of those things that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Olawsky said. …