Local

Fire chars 17 Atlanta police motorcycles

ATLANTA — A fire where Atlanta police keep their motorcycles burned up 17 cycles Tuesday night.

Atlanta police told Channel 2’s Jeff Dore that the motorcycles were all lined up in a row behind the police academy. When an officer got on his and started it up, it caught fire.

“He went to his motorcycle, which was in the middle, and when he engaged it, that's when the sparks flied,” said Atlanta police J.B. Snowden.

The fire spread from bike to bike and it took the fire department to put them out.

“A total of about 17 motorcycles were damaged,” Snowden said.

Most police motorcycles are Harley-Davidsons, so Dore talked with Harley owners at Harley-Davidson of Atlanta.

“I'd be devastated if I lost mine even though I've got insurance on it, full coverage, even still it'd be terrible,” said motorcycle owner Bill Deathrage.

Owners’ devotion to Harley-Davidsons is like their love of favorite pets. They wear Harley clothes, have Harley tattoos on their arms, on their legs and all over.

“I mean, it's the way they look and sound, the vibration. It's definitely a lifestyle,” said Harley-Davidson of Atlanta service manager Brian Eubanks.

Atlanta police said they don't know what caused the spark.

“Something like that could a happened cause a battery terminal, a trickle charger,” Eubanks said.

The community of Harley owners told Dore that some of the bikes that burned were the police department's and some were the officers' personal bikes the rode off duty.