The roof of the Gwinnett County office building collapsed, forcing firefighters inside to evacuate

By David Aaro
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County firefighter was injured and nine others were forced to evacuate after the roof of an office building collapsed during a fire Saturday night.

Fire crews responded at about 7:15 p.m. to a business fire in the 4500 block of Nelson Brogdon Boulevard after 911 callers reported that flames were coming from BenchMark Physical Therapy, spokesperson Jessica Joiner said in a statement. At the scene, firefighters saw the roof was ablaze and deployed two hose lines to fight the fire as nine firefighters searched inside the building.

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But as firefighters looked for possible victims, officials said the roof of the two-story building collapsed. Joiner said, “At that moment, all firefighting crews exited the building.”

A firefighter was taken to a hospital with minor injuries after being hurt during “fire ground operations,” officials said. They were not one of the nine firefighters who were inside during the collapse, Joiner said. The firefighter was released from the hospital late Saturday night.

Four engines and two ladder trucks were used during the operation, as well as a drone.

Crews gained control of the fire by 7:42 p.m. and once again entered the business to fully extinguish it. But it was ultimately consumed by the blaze. Joiner said it also caused damage to the nearby Lanier Recovery Center, a drug rehab center located in the same building.

Joiner said a person with keys to BenchMark Physical Therapy told fire crews that they hadn’t there since Friday.

“Fire investigators stated that the cause of this fire was undetermined and originated in the attic space of the business,” Joiner said in a statement. An investigation into the fire is ongoing.

BenchMark Physical Therapy provides both physical and occupational therapy care, according to its website.

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