A firefighter who fell through the second floor of a burning three-story building in downtown Atlanta on Monday has been released from the hospital, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue.
Crews responded to a fire in a building in the 200 block of Auburn Avenue about 10 a.m., Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said.
According to Stafford, units were heading toward the exit of the building when the firefighter fell from the second floor to the first floor. He attributed the fall to “a hole on the floor.”
Fellow firefighters saw the fall and began assisting Capt. Deaunte Grier, who suffered injuries to his face and back, Stafford said. Grier, a 17-year veteran, was alert when he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and released, Stafford said.
A second firefighter, Zachary Phillips, was also taken to the hospital and treated for a laceration to his hand, according to Atlanta fire officials. It was not stated how he got the injury. Phillips has been with Atlanta fire for four years.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“It’s unknown right now how the fire started, but we do feel like it started on the first floor,” Stafford said.
The first floor was occupied by a lounge or club, Stafford said. The name of the business was not known. The second and third floors were vacant.
The Atlanta Streetcar, which operates along Auburn Avenue, was temporarily closed while crews battled the blaze.
The scene cleared about 7:20 p.m. and all lanes have reopened, Atlanta police spokesman John Chafee said.
