Two people were found dead after a fire swept through an abandoned church in northwest Atlanta. The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department responded to the call late Tuesday night, around 11:30 p.m., at the location on the 600 block of Cameron M. Alexander Boulevard, previously identified as the Amazing Grace Christian Community Church, according to fire officials and reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Firefighters faced intense flames upon arrival and had to fight the fire from the outside, due to a partial roof collapse, "Conditions were so bad because there was already a partial roof collapse before we got here, so we had to work this fire defensively, which means we had to work it from outside," Atlanta Fire Rescue's Anare Holmes confirmed. When they were able to enter the building after extinguishing the blaze, they discovered two bodies, as detailed by FOX 5 Atlanta. It was noted by officials that the church had been used as shelter by unhoused individuals, a male and another whose gender was unknown at the time of the report.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported on the incident, adding that the names of the deceased have not been released as of the latest updates. State Fire Marshal investigators have joined the investigation to determine the cause of the blaze. Additionally, online property records indicate that the building, which had been deserted for years, was sold for $1.2 million to a residential property management company in June 2021.
Members of the community expressed that it was not uncommon to see people seeking refuge in abandoned structures in the area. "People just use these abandoned houses to sleep in to just get out of the air," said resident Terry McCrary in a statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta. The sentiment underscored the ongoing issue of homelessness in the city, and the tragic consequence that sometimes follows, like in the case of the church fire. The investigation into both the cause of the fire and the deaths is ongoing, as agencies including the ATF and the state fire marshal's office unravel the details behind this tragic event.
