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Atlanta firefighter injured battling restaurant fire

The firefighter was injured in a fall while cleanup was underway at the cafe; his injuries were not serious

The Atlanta Journal Constitution

ATLANTA — A fire damaged the OK Cafe, an Atlanta eatery popular among business and community leaders, early Sunday morning.

One firefighter was injured in the blaze at the Buckhead eatery on the corner of West Paces Ferry Road and Northside Parkway, Atlanta Fire Department spokeswoman Janet Ward told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

That firefighter, who was not identified, was injured in a fall while cleanup was underway at the cafe, Ward said. She said he was transferred to Atlanta Medical Center. His injuries were not serious.

Ward said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

“It was out fairly quickly,” she said, adding that the two-alarm blaze severely damaged the restaurant, which is popular with Atlanta business and community leaders.

“The place is going to be closed for awhile,” she said.

Melissa Roberts was one of four servers at the cafe when the fire broke out. She said the blaze appeared to have started upstairs in a water heater near a storage area. She said the fire spread downstairs to the bakery area and employees tried to douse the blaze with fire extinguishers. When that didn’t work, the fire department was called and the dozens of patrons who were dining at the time were asked to clear out, according to Roberts.

Several people on social media who have visited the eatery, which opened in July 1987, expressed concern about the fire at the restaurant.

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