Homeless man trying to keep warm accidentally sets fire to storage facility
Three storage units went up in smoke in DeKalb County after a homeless person trying to keep warm accidentally started a fire, authorities said.
Firefighters were sent to the storage facility on Austin Drive in Decatur about 5:15 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived, fire officials said smoke and flames were visible in one of the units.
“There were three units damaged by fire and several others damaged by smoke and water damage,” fire department spokesman Capt. Dion Bentley said.
Bentley said the burning unit was open when firefighters arrived and a homeless man was standing inside. The department said he was trying to stay warm on a cold night.
“People do what they can to keep warm at night,” Bentley said.
RELATED: WEATHER-TRAFFIC UPDATE: Atlanta leaves freezing temps behind
The man was taken into custody by the DeKalb police department. No other details about his identity or the fire have been released. An investigation is ongoing.
The fire comes as bitterly cold temperatures swept through metro Atlanta this week. Temperatures dipped below freezing Wednesday night for the third day in a row.
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Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
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