Workers evacuated the Fulton County Juvenile Court building for just over a half hour Tuesday as firefighters searched for the source of reported smoke in the Pryor Street building.

A motor in the ceiling of the building's basement overheated, causing smoke detectors to activate at 10:48 a.m., Fulton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.

People were allowed to re-enter about 11:20 a.m.

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)