ATLANTA — Officials with Atlanta Fire Rescue say a gas leak along Campbellton Road caused an explosion, which led to a fire at a nearby restaurant on Monday.
The leak along Campbellton Road SW prompted several road closures and the evacuation of seven nearby buildings, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue officials.
Atlanta Fire Rescue said its crews responded around 10 a.m. to Campbellton Road SW at Dodson Drive SW after construction crews ruptured the underground gas line.
Once on the scene, they heard the explosion and began battling the fire at PO Freddie's BBQ restaurant in the area.
Firefighters have closed Campbellton Road from Harbin Road to Marvin Lane and Dodson Drive from Ivydale to Landrum.
Among the buildings evacuated was a nearby apartment complex, officials added.
11Alive SkyTracker flew over the scene, where crews were seen working to repair the gas leak. They also caught footage of fire crews working to put out the flames.
Rakem West and Nakevia Atkins were directing traffic near Campbellton Road when they heard the explosion.
"We heard a big boom noise, and that was the BBQ spot bust up in flames. We were smelling it. We heard it," West recalled. "We were running for our lives."
While Atlanta Fire said the blaze is mostly extinguished, they are still working to put out a few hot spots before leaving the area. In addition, they said Atlanta Gas Light would be repairing the line before opening up the road.
Currently, there is no set time on when that will occur.
Thankfully, there was no one inside the BBQ restaurant at the time of the explosion, according to officials.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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