By Christian Boone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GRANT PARK, Ga. — Neighbors of a Grant Park man whose home was gutted by fire say it took at least 25 minutes before firefighters arrived to douse the blaze, raising questions how long it took Fulton County’s 911 center to get the message to the Fire Department.
No one in the home was hurt in the blaze, which broke out late Saturday night.
Sara Rinney, who lives next door, said Sunday that the home’s owner, Wilford Reed, asked her to call 911 about 11 p.m.
Rinney said Reed told her his wife had tried calling 911 twice but was put on hold both times. The couple finally had to flee.
“I kept waiting, at least two minutes, probably around 2 1/2 minutes, and I got nothing,” said Rinney, whose home is about 20 feet away from the Reeds’. The intensity of the fire melted her vinyl siding.
Rinney said she finally hung up and ran to the street, asking neighbors to call 911.
Next-door neighbor Susan Whatley, who had moved into her house earlier in the day, said she finally got through to a 911 operator after waiting on hold another two minutes. “I told them the fire had been going on for at least 10 minutes,” Whatley said. “I told them, ‘The whole house is on fire.’ ”
Meanwhile, Reed, who had tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out with a garden hose, was pacing back and forth in front of his home, begging for help.
“He just watched his house burn, and there was nothing nobody could do,” said Gail McClain, who said the Reeds had lived in their house for “at least 30 years.”
As the fire continued to burn, Rinney said another neighbor ran up the street to a police precinct a few blocks away and grabbed an officer.
When the officer arrived at the scene, the fire had been burning for more than 20 minutes, according to multiple witnesses. The officer called for help on his police radio. Rinney said firefighters arrived about five minutes later.
Atlanta Fire Department spokesman Capt. Bill May said an initial review indicated firefighters arrived at the scene within six minutes after learning about the fire over the radio.
He said Sunday night that the department hasn’t been able to trace when the calls came into 911 because of a computer malfunction. May said it was possible a wrong address was given to the 911 operator, which could have caused some confusion.
Whatley said she did not know the Reeds’ address but gave the 911 operator her own address, two doors down from the fire.
May also said the delay could have been caused by the number of people who called 911 and were put on hold, hung up and redialed.
“This creates a logjam,” May said, because the 911 operator would have called back the number that first appeared on his or her computer screen, even if the caller had hung up.
Attempts to reach Crystal Williams, Fulton County 911 Center interim director, were unsuccessful Sunday night.
Copyright 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution