Firefighters battle blaze in NW Atlanta commercial building where several were asleep

Several people were sleeping when a fire broke out at an attached structure Sunday morning in northwest Atlanta, officials said.

Atlanta firefighters received a 911 call reporting a blaze with possible entrapment shortly before 8 a.m. at a commercial shopping building in the 2600 block of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Units arrived within four minutes of the call and confirmed a heavy fire on the backside of the building, the department said.

Firefighters were able to knock the fire down before it extended to additional areas of the property.

A “good Samaritan” was able to assist those sleeping in the attached structure out of the building before crews arrived, officials said. Firefighters conducted several searches throughout the living quarters and confirmed that there were no entrapments, officials added.

Crews were able to extinguish the blaze before it extended to additional areas of the property, the department said. Neighboring structures include a seafood restaurant and smoke shop.

EMS was called to the scene for a male suffering from difficulty breathing.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.