A thick plume of black smoke darkened the sky near downtown as flames destroyed a large vacant boarding house Wednesday night.
When firefighters arrived shortly after 7 p.m., flames were showing through the roof of the building at 2369 Felton Ave.
"We could see it before we got here," Macon-Bibb County fire Capt. James Wallace said. "It was fully involved."
Several firefighters were overcome by the heat and smoke and were treated at the scene, fire Lt. Tom Musselwhite said.
"It's going to take quite an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the fire," Musselwhite said.
The 9,000- to 12,000-square-foot building labeled "St. Sallie's Foundation" had been added onto several times and had caught fire before, Musselwhite said.
Temporary power had been hooked up and a building permit was posted near one of the doors, Musselwhite said.
As crews battled the fire, Emeril Jackson, who said he worked for building owner William Wynder, arrived to feed several dogs who were living in the building.
Two dogs were found outside the house after the roof had collapsed.
Wynder could not be reached by telephone Wednesday night.
Distributed by the Associated Press
