Firefighter falls about 8 feet battling vacant house fire
An Atlanta firefighter was injured in the knee after falling through a second story floor battling a vacant house fire Friday in northwest Atlanta.
Officials said the injuries were minor. Although, the firefighter dropped about 8 feet.
The fire started just before 4 a.m. at the corner of Mayson Turner Road and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, Atlanta fire Capt. Tom Towhey said.
“Upon our arrival, we had heavy fire involvement in the rear of the house to the point that it burned the siding and was fully involved on both floors,” Towhey said.
Heavy black smoke poured out of the front of the home, so a crew fought flames from the back. Firefighters then went inside to search for anyone who may have been in the home.
“Although the house is vacant and doesn’t have any legal residents, sometimes homeless people, they go in these houses to stay warm,” Towhey said.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 6:30 a.m. and worked to mop up the area.
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John Spink is a multi-platform photojournalist with the breaking news team. He provides compelling photos, video and audio from breaking news events for the AJC and media partners WSB Channel 2 Action News & WSB Radio
