Warehouse collapses during fire in Georgia

NBC
Published: November 21, 2008

Investigators believe cigarettes and cigarette lighters fueled a massive fire broke out at a wholesale store in DeKalb County, Georgia early Thursday morning.

Smoke from the two-alarm fire at A to Z Wholesale Grocery could be seen for miles, tying up traffic on nearby surface streets as people looked on.

No one is believed to have been inside the building at the time.

Fire officials have yet to determine the cause.

Crews on the scene say the fire appears to have started near a trailer in the back, then spread to the rest of the building.

Firefighters were forced to pull out of the store as parts of the building began to collapse.

A third alarm was struck to relieve crews that worked throughout the morning.

Haz-mat teams were brought in out of concern for flammable materials inside, including the cigarettes and lighters.