Duluth man recalls devastating apartment fire: "You can't unsee it"

The cause of a fire at a Gwinnett County apartment complex cannot be determined.

The fire, which broke out at Cortland Duluth Apartments late on MLK Day, has displaced 25 households. The apartments say they are supporting impacted residents along with the American Red Cross.

A resident who helped sound the alarm about the fire described those tense moments to CBS News Atlanta.

"You think about it and your eyes get watery," said Dolphin Coley.

Coley is homesick for a place he can't go back to.

"You see things like this happen on TV. You see it happen to other families, but it definitely hits different when it happens to you," Coley said.

For nearly five years, he called the Cortland Duluth Apartments home.

"This was my apartment before the fire," Coley said while looking at a video of his apartment.

On the evening of Jan. 19, Coley woke up to the smell of smoke.

"I was just like, what is that smell? It was like a burning," Coley said. "Opened up my patio doors, and a white smoke came in. So I said, 'Oh my God, what's going on?'"

He called 911 and pulled the fire alarm in the hallway.

"Thank God the alarm went off, because with all the smoke that was in the apartments. I was a little concerned because none of the other internal fire alarms and stuff went off," Coley said. "No carbon monoxide alarm, no fire alarms, nothing went off inside any of the apartments. So that was very concerning."

When he went around the back, Coley said he saw flames coming from a patio. He began shouting for his neighbors to get out.

Neighbors left their homes and watched the fire grow.

"I'm just watching my life just go up," Coley said while watching back a video he took of the fire.

Gwinnett County Fire says firefighters rescued several trapped residents. No one was seriously injured.

When they finally put out the fire, Coley went to see what was left of his home.

"I couldn't even recognize the apartment. It was nothing in there but soot, smoke, water, doors, countertops flipped over, burnt, chopped up, saturated," Coley said. "You can't unsee it. Your life definitely changes after that."

Gwinnett County Fire says 28 units were impacted by the fire and their Fire Investigators have deemed the fire undetermined

"It is with a heavy heart that I let you know the upper floors of Building 17 are a total loss and due to the structural conditions we are unable to retrieve belongings from these homes," Coley said, reading from an email he received from Cortland.

Cortland shared a statement with CBS Atlanta:

"Nothing is more important to us at Cortland than the safety and well-being of our residents, their families, and guests. In the early morning hours of Jan. 20, 2026, a serious fire occurred at our Cortland Duluth community, displacing a number of residents. We are incredibly grateful that no serious injuries were reported and thank Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services for their quick response. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by Gwinnett County Fire Services, and we will defer to them for updates as their work continues. At this time, the affected building has been deemed unsafe and uninhabitable. Our team is working closely with impacted residents and community partners, including the American Red Cross, to provide immediate support and help residents navigate next steps. Most of the impacted households have already chosen to relocate to other homes within the Cortland Duluth community, and we will continue to be here for them throughout this process."

In response to CBS Atlanta's questions about the fire alarms, Cortland added, "At the time of the incident, the fire alarm system was fully operational and functioning as designed."

They say the building is uninhabitable, and most impacted residents have been relocated to other apartments in the community.

"I personally couldn't live there again. It's just a little bit too much trauma and triggering for me," Coley said. "I actually don't even feel comfortable even going that way, because standing there and literally watching flames and everything go up and babies coming out and getting rushed to ambulances, it's just a little bit too much for me. So, I'm just trying to pick up pieces now, trying to figure it out."

Coley is now navigating insurance challenges and the loss of everything he owned, which he estimates to be in the tens of thousands in value.

"I had a lot of sentimental stuff in there. You know, I had the videotapes of my kids being born, my degrees, all of my accomplishments, stuff that money cannot replace," Coley said.

Coley has started an online fundraiser to help him get back on his feet. Right now, he is sleeping on a friend's couch. He says he is grateful for his life as he tries to put it back together.

"First and foremost, I want to thank God just for my life, for sparing me, for sparing everybody in that building," Coley said.