TOCCOA, Ga. — A metro Atlanta county’s water treatment facility burned, slightly, on Friday.
The Habersham County plant in Toccoa briefly caught fire.
Toccoa Fire Chief Jeff Haslup said that while a Toccoa Water Treatment Plant employee was working to ensure residents had safe drinking water, they started to smell smoke just before 6 p.m.
Haslup said a quick check of the facility revealed smoke coming from the water distribution warehouse next to the treatment plant.
While on the phone with 911, the worker saw the amount of smoke coming from the building grow and flames break through the roof, officials said.
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Firefighters from both Toccoa and Shiloh were sent to contain the blaze. Additional off-duty Toccoa firefighters were also called to the scene to help.
The department brought on an aerial ladder pipe and deck gun on a fire engine to put the fire out. A total of 27 firefighters were needed to bring the flames under control and the bulk of the fire was knocked down within 45 minutes but firefighters remained on scene until almost 11 p.m. to fully put it out.
When the roof of the building fell in, officials said it added challenges to extinguishment efforts.
Officials said that the warehouse fire was downhill from the plant, so water treatment processes were not disrupted.
The Georgia State Fire Marshal is now working to investigate the cause of the fire.
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