ATLANTA — Firefighters worked to put out a raging fire on Memorial Drive in east Atlanta where flames engulfed a business and the street.
The scene - which is near 4th Avenue - left one of the owners of the building that caught fire in shock.
“It was pretty crazy," Craig Burns told 11Alive.
Burns said he and his business partner bought the building about six or seven years ago and renovated it. He said his partner runs his business, Kirkwood Tax and Accounting there.
"He had called me around 2:00 and said 'hey, we got an emergency,'" Burns said as he recalled the phone conversation. "He said, 'there’s been an explosion, the building's on fire. I’m across town. Get over there.'"
Burns, who lives in the area, said he couldn't believe what he saw when he arrived at the scene.
“I see flames shooting 40 feet in the air with helicopters and everything else. It’s unbelievable," he said.
Atlanta Gas Light said crews went to the scene assisting first responders with a damaged natural gas line. They said it was caused by a third-party contractor working in the area.
The company later said a six-inch natural gas main was damaged by the contractor. They turned off gas in the area and were working to restore it to the customers who were without service.
Burns said he talked to neighbors in the area who said they heard an explosion.
"It literally exploded shook the Earth. People all around heard it, felt it," he said. His business partner was not hurt.
"Apparently he left the building about 15 minutes before this explosion happened," he added.
11Alive SkyTracker flew over the scene in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Firefighters could be seen blasting water at the flames from across the street.
“It was just continually burning for about two hours solid," Burns described.
The fire also impacted traffic in the area. MARTA said Route 21 has some delays due this emergency.
The Georgia Department of Transportation said all eastbound and westbound lanes on SR 154/Memorial Dr. between 2nd Avenue and East Lake Drive are closed while crews actively work in the area.
Update: At 12:30 p.m., Atlanta Gas Light confirmed that crews completed repairs to the damaged six-inch main on Memorial Drive at approximately 5 a.m. Natural Gas service was restored to the impacted customers who our field representatives were able to contact.
PHOTOS | Massive fire on Memorial Drive
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