Firefighters battled a blaze at an office complex in DeKalb County on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
DeKalb County Fire Capt. Dion Bentley told AJC.com the building was evacuated and no one was hurt.
The Kensington office park, which is located at 4151 Memorial Drive at the intersection of Covington Highway near Avondale Estates, was built in 1974.
Bentley said the complex’s metal roof acted like a shield, making it difficult for firefighters to spray water on top of the fire. He also said it was too dangerous for firefighters to enter the building at first.
“The metal roof is making it rough, and it’s acting like an umbrella,” he said earlier. “It’s an ugly, nasty fire.”
Crews have since put out most of the large flames and been able to enter the building to finish extinguishing hot spots.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but it started on the second floor, Channel 2 Action News reported. The building is totaled, destroying many tenants’ businesses.
The National Weather Service said the smoke plume was thick enough to be visible on weather radar systems.
Two lanes of Memorial Drive were blocked as a result of the fire.
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