No injuries in ‘ugly, nasty fire’ at DeKalb office complex
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.
PHOTOS: Crews battling massive fire at office complex in DeKalb County https://t.co/GwY5QljDz3
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) February 14, 2019
LIVE reports RIGHT NOW on Channel 2. pic.twitter.com/WeOkv5fpld
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.
“It’s gone.” Hear from a business owner who lost everything in the massive DeKalb County office park fire, at 11. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/e6CYz0t1Eb
— Justin Wilfon (@JustinWilfonWSB) February 15, 2019
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.
Smoke plume from a current office fire in Dekalb County is showing up on NWS Peachtree City radar! #gawx pic.twitter.com/QV7PqcB0ui
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) February 14, 2019
Two lanes of Memorial Drive were blocked as a result of the fire.
In other news:
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
