Teens removed from church basement after fire code violations discovered

A dozen teenagers under the care of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services were relocated from a church basement after fire officials determined the building was not a safe or legal group living space.

(NBC)- A dozen teenagers under the care of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) were relocated from a church basement after fire officials determined the building was not a safe or legal group living space.

Clayton County Fire Chief Tim Sweat said the teens had been staying in the basement of Now Faith Apostolic Church, a move that violates county fire codes for residential group facilities.Fire crews were first alerted to the situation during a call early Tuesday morning, prompting Sweat to bring in the fire marshal to investigate further. Clayton County Fire Marshal Chris Cameron said while the space wasn’t in deplorable condition, it lacked several critical safety requirements.

“They weren’t deplorable conditions as we sometimes see,” Cameron noted. “But there were no sprinklers and no fire alarm system with audio and visual notification—both of which are essential in group living environments.”

In addition to fire safety violations, officials expressed concern over blocked or locked exits that could endanger lives in the event of an emergency.

“You have 12 youths with locked doors, locked points of egress—obviously you can imagine the danger that could occur from something of that nature,” said Cameron.

Fire officials say the teens had originally been living at a licensed facility about 10 miles away on Highway 138. Employees at that site reportedly moved the teens due to plumbing problems. However, Chief Sweat said staff told investigators they acted under guidance from the state fire marshal’s office—something that was later confirmed to be false.

“They said at the direction of the state fire marshal’s office, which we have confirmed is not true,” Sweat said.

Attempts to reach officials at the original facility were unsuccessful. When reporters visited the location, it appeared to be closed. The incident is under further review by both county and state agencies.