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.

About the Authors

Keep Reading

The SNAP program provided benefits to about 13% of Georgia’s population, 1.4 million people, during the 2024 fiscal year. (Associated Press)

Credit: Sipa USA via AP

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC