Raging flames that destroyed much of a DeKalb County warehouse and caused the roof to collapse were finally put out Thursday.
“It is out at this time,” DeKalb fire Capt. Eric Jackson said around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
Crews began working about 6 a.m. to extinguish the blaze in the 2400 block of Lithonia Industrial Boulevard, DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department officials said.
Initial reports indicated no one was in the warehouse at the time of the fire, which burned everything from paint to tires to vehicles.
“The roof collapsed in stages,” Jackson said. “First one far end collapsed, and then the middle and then the end.”
The building is occupied by the National Equipment Development Company Inc. NEDCO, a manufacturing business that helps fold textiles and apparel, is less than 1,000 feet from one of the fire department's stations.
“Our firefighters, of course knowing the area, literally looked out the back door and saw this business on fire,” Jackson said.
At one point, crews used three aerial ladders and at least 10 trucks to saturate the building with thousands of gallons of water. Investigators said the burning chemicals weren’t believed to be toxic to the surrounding area.
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