Explosion at Atlanta pallet warehouse causes fire, forces homes to be evacuated
Multiple homes in southeast Atlanta had to be evacuated overnight after an explosion caused a major fire at a nearby pallet facility, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to the Pallet Depot on Sawtell Avenue about 2:40 a.m. Friday, Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said.
“It’s a business with a heavy load of wooden pallets that they move in and out,” he told reporters at the scene.
He said when firefighters arrived, about 60% of the warehouse was engulfed in flames.
“Our units reported flames shooting 70 to 100 feet in the air,” Stafford said.
Because the fire was so large, authorities evacuated nearby homes as a precaution.
No homes were damaged in the blaze, but the fire did spread to one backyard, he said. Firefighters also stopped trains from running on a track near the facility, authorities said.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze is still undetermined.
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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
