Downed tree leads to fire at Atlanta Civic Center

Firefighters are investigating a blaze at the Atlanta Civic Center that started early Tuesday after a tree fell on a power line near the facility, the spokesman for Atlanta Fire Rescue said.

The incident caused a surge in the aging performing arts hall on Piedmont Avenue, Sgt. Cortez Stafford told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Firefighters said they initially thought they were dealing with a trash compactor fire.

Once on the scene, they learned it was an underground fire in the building’s electrical unit.

Firefighters later heard three bangs and noticed they were standing in a foot of water and in danger, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Firefighters had to back out of the building and wait on Georgia Power to cut the electricity, Stafford said.

Once the power was cut nearly two hours later, firefighters went back in and extinguished the blaze just before 7:40 a.m.

No injuries were reported in the incident, Stafford said.

The Atlanta Housing Authority purchased the Civic Center last year to make way for a $300 million mixed-use, mixed-income community, The AJC reported in November.

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