Local

Venue built for 1996 Olympics in Atlanta burns to the ground

POLK COUNTY, TN — A Georgia Olympics venue is said to be a total loss after it caught fire overnight on the Georgia/Tennessee border.

The Ocoee Whitewater Center was built for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta to host canoe slalom events.

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The Center was the site of the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition in history.

The venue was closed to visitors when the fire broke out.

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Fire crews from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina were all called in to help put out the flames.

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It’s unclear how the fire started, but dry weather has increased the fire danger in northwest Georgia the past few weeks.