A massive blaze Wednesday morning that prompted the temporary evacuation of a residential facility along the Atlanta Beltline was accidental, an Atlanta Fire Rescue spokesman said.
Investigators determined an unattended candle or misplaced cigarette most likely set patio furniture ablaze on the roof of the Telephone Factory Lofts on Ralph McGill Boulevard, Atlanta fire Sgt. Cortez Stafford said. Flames then spread to decking material and other items on the roof.
The fire was contained to the top deck of the building and did not extend down to any apartments or lead to injuries, he said.
Stafford said when crews arrived, they couldn’t see the flames because the building is located high on a hill.
Once fire crews got to the top of the building, they found heavy fire on the deck. Stafford said the roof may be a total loss and about seven lofts sustained some level of water damage.
There were no sprinklers on the roof, Stafford said.
Haley Bennett, a resident of two months in the affected building, said she woke up to sirens but didn’t realize her building was on fire until she heard loud stomping in the hallway.
“I ran out,” she said. “And I saw firefighters flying pass me screaming: ‘Get out! Get out! Get out!’”
Bennett ran outside, where she observed the sky was black, and the building’s roof was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters quickly worked to extinguish the fire.
Stafford said they would normally run a standpipe, which connects to a water supply, through the building to extinguish flames, but they didn’t want to run a hose through the stairwell.
“We had to extend our ladder to get some hose up to the roof,” Stafford said.
Once crews were able to contain the flames, residents with lofts on the first and second floors were allowed to return to the building.
Motorists were urged to avoid the area of Ralph McGill Boulevard near Freedom Parkway in Atlanta as firefighters battled the blaze, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
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