A fire was intentionally set inside a Target store in Buckhead on Tuesday evening, officials said, the second blaze to be purposely ignited at store locations in the Atlanta neighborhood this year.
Both fires, which impacted Target locations about three miles apart, are being investigated as arson, according to fire officials. However, they don’t appear to be connected.
Crews were dispatched around 10 p.m. to the department store in the 3500 block of Peachtree Road for a report of a fire. When firefighters arrived, they learned the blaze had been extinguished by store personnel, officials said. Atlanta fire spokeswoman Alyssa Richardson said she couldn’t comment on where the fire started in the store due to the active investigation.
The building was evacuated before fire crews arrived, and no one was injured. Target spokesperson Joe Unger said there was minor damage to the store, which reopened Wednesday morning.
“We appreciate the fast response of Atlanta Fire Rescue, and the swift action of our team in evacuating the building,” Unger said. “We’re grateful that there were no injuries and that damage was extremely minimal.”
The incident occurred just weeks after a fire was reported inside a store in the Lindbergh area, leading to evacuations and a temporary closure. On Jan. 24, crews discovered that blaze in the bedding section on the first floor. Investigators believed someone “intentionally” set the fire to create a distraction, allowing the offender to shoplift and escape as customers rushed to exit the building.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Three employees were evaluated for injuries and smoke inhalation, but ultimately no one was injured, the fire department said. The flames were extinguished in about 30 minutes and crews said they then began working to ventilate “the extremely heavy smoke conditions inside of the store.”
Other recent fires at Walmart stores located at 835 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 1801 Howell Mill Road are also being investigated as arsons, the fire department previously stated. Tuesday’s fire doesn’t appear to be connected to the one on Martin Luther King Drive, and officials did not immediately say if it was connected to the blaze on Howell Mill Road.
According to Channel 2 Action News, the Howell Mill store went up in flames in December after someone set fire to the men’s clothing section. That store has permanently closed.
The Vine City store on MLK Drive also caught on fire in December, Channel 2 reported. It temporarily closed, but Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced in January that it will reopen.
In the three previous cases, authorities said they believe the fires were intentionally set to allow the suspects to shoplift.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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