Firefighter steps through floor while battling NW Atlanta house fire

Atlanta fire crews examine a hole in a fire-burned floor at a rooming house on the corner of Burbank and Martin Luther King Jr. drives. A firefighter was injured when he stepped through a hole in the floor Thursday morning.

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

Atlanta fire crews examine a hole in a fire-burned floor at a rooming house on the corner of Burbank and Martin Luther King Jr. drives. A firefighter was injured when he stepped through a hole in the floor Thursday morning.

Fire at a northwest Atlanta rooming house forced residents from their beds Thursday morning and sent a firefighter to a hospital.

Shawn Manns, a battalion chief for the Atlanta fire department, said his crew member sustained a knee injury when he stepped through a hole in the fire-compromised floor. The firefighter was conducting a primary search of the three-story home after it was reported that residents might be trapped inside.

“His foot went through the hole and his crew members were able to grab him, pull him up and get him outside,” Manns told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The firefighter was being treated at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Atlanta fire crews examine a hole in a fire-burned floor at a rooming house on the corner of Burbank and Martin Luther King Jr. drives. A firefighter was injured when he stepped through a hole in the floor Thursday morning.

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

icon to expand image

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

Crews were called to the home at the corner of Burbank and Martin Luther King Jr. drives shortly after 3 a.m. and arrived within five minutes, Manns said. They quickly determined the fire was coming from the basement level and went inside to knock down the flames and search for occupants.

Five people were renting rooms, but only three were home when the fire broke out, according to resident Cecil Garrett. He and his roommates were able to get outside to safety before the fire crews arrived.

“By the time I decided to head out, my house was so full of smoke I just covered my mouth and took my time to crawl out,” Garrett said.

Cecil Garrett said he awoke early Thursday to find his room at a northwest Atlanta rooming house filled with smoke. He and his three roommates were able to get out safely, but a firefighter was injured when he stepped through a hole in the floor.

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

icon to expand image

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

All five residents were staying on the top floor, away from the source of the fire in the basement, but Garrett said the entire building was gutted and he likely lost everything. He believed the home’s owner was doing renovations on the bottom level to prepare for more renters.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Atlanta fire crews arrived within five minutes of the call for service at a rooming house on the corner of Burbank and Martin Luther King Jr. drives on Thursday morning, according to officials.

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com

icon to expand image

Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com