CONYERS—Arsan Kaku wasn’t home when a fire started earlier this week in the complex where he lives. KaKu and his wife, Afaran, spent Thursday salvaging what they could and moving to another unit in the Arbor Creek Apartment complex on Main Street, where the fire started.

The KaKus were among eight families who received assistance from the American Red Cross this week after the fire broke out in one of the units. Firefighters are still investigating the blaze, but residents have their theories.

“They say a water heater started the fire,” said Kaku. “I’m just glad we are all safe and consider us lucky. A neighbor who was outside drinking coffee, saw the smoke, and called the firefighters.”

The fire happened Wednesday around 9 a.m., when many residents had gone to work. The blaze broke out in an upstairs unit and burned through the ceiling and roof, damaging eight units and destroying one, fire officials said.

Rockdale County Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Morgan said that smoke detectors played a critical role in the fire not spreading to other apartments in the complex.

“No one was home in the units upstairs when the fire started, but because somebody had a smoke detector, other neighbors heard it going off, saw smoke and called us,” Morgan said.

This week, the Conyers families received food, clothing and temporary housing through the Red Cross.

“We are currently working with apartment staff to get all the victims in other vacant apartments that are in the complex,” said Ruben Brown, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross.

As the KaKus start anew, Arsan KaKu says he his thankful to the Red Cross and thankful to his neighbors.

“We didn’t get the big hit of the fire, but a lot of smoke and water damage. It’s a good thing that the Red Cross worked with the apartment staff, to get us to a new place,” Kaku said. “We are moving in today and ready to set up the new apartment with what we have.”