Fire Dept: Rockbridge Plaza Blaze Spread Quickly, 'Required a Lot of Manpower'

A DeKalb county fire department incident report states that one of two fires last month at the Rockbridge Plaza shopping center spread fast on one side of the building and needed a lot of hands to extinguish it. No one was injured in the incidents.

Crews responded to the fire at 11 p.m. March 22 and reported the following conditions at 5444 Rockbridge Rd.:

Heavy smoke and flames showing on Side B of a 1 story 5,000 sq. ft. taxpayer with masonry walls and a composite/metal roof on a slab with 6 separate occupancies under one roof. This fire was well-established upon our arrival and spreading rapidly.

Getting around inside the building was also an issue for firefighters on March 22:

Crews were faced with an exceptional amount of home furnishings (mattresses, box springs, furniture, etc.) piled high and deep in the fire occupancy. This presented a challenge to our crews advancing hose lines in the interior.

Most of the building was saved in the March 22 effort, the report states.

The second fire, on March 26, was at the Stop N Save in the plaza. The report is not as long as the one from March 22, but it does indicate that an investigator "was requested to the scene for possible intentional fire investigation."

Under "Lessons Learned" in the report on the first incident, the fire appartus operator wrote:

Do not hesitate to call for and use any needed resources. This fire ultimately required a lot of manpower and it was used. Rehab and take care of your personnel.