Busy Atlanta road remains closed after fire damages gas line
A gas line damaged in a fire that shut down part of Cheshire Bridge Road in northeast Atlanta has been repaired.
Atlanta Gas Light officials announced that the four-inch line had been repaired around 9 p.m. Thursday. The fire, which was reported around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, raged well into the night and damaged a bridge that crosses a railroad track.
The flames were fueled by a break in a natural gas line beneath the road in the area of Faulkner Road, Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford told Channel 2 Action News at the scene.
“This is a concrete bridge, but still the amount of time the fire has been burning on this bridge has compromised it,” Stafford told the news station.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Stafford said firefighters assumed they were dealing with a small fire under the bridge, a common occurrence in the area, but the flames grew more dangerous after impinging on the gas line.
Crews with Atlanta Gas Light finished repairs to the gas line and were working to restore service to impacted customers Thursday, but the road remains closed.
“The initial fire was not started by natural gas; however, the fire damaged a four-inch natural gas line, causing the pipe to ignite,” Mekka Parrish, a spokeswoman for the utility, said in Thursday’s late-morning update. “There were no injuries, but for the safety of those in the surrounding area, natural gas service was turned off, impacting fewer than 50 customers.”
During firefighting efforts, about 600 Georgia Power customers lost power, including residents in a nearby apartment complex. Lights were back on by 5:30 a.m., according to Channel 2.
About the Authors
Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
