Ga. 247 reopens after major fire at Middle Georgia Freightliner

A major fire shut down Ga. 247 early Friday morning near Bibb Distributing.

At about 6:30 a.m., Macon-Bibb County firefighters were called to the 6400 block of Hawkinsville Road where the Middle Georgia Freightliner Isuzu's truck repair shop was ablaze on Bartlett Road.

Flames were shooting out of the one-story, metal frame building as fire crews arrived.

Bibb County sheriff's deputies blocked the busy highway leading to Robins Air Force Base and detoured cars away from fire lines in the road.

Macon-Bibb County Fire Chief Marvin Riggins said flames tore through the roof so firefighters pulled out of the building and fought the fire in a defensive mode from an aerial ladder and other fire trucks.

Combustible material and propane tanks in and around the building proved to be a challenge for firefighters, but no one was hurt fighting the fire.

Macon-Bibb fire investigator Lt. Ben Gleaton was on the scene and will begin determining what started the fire once the building is safe to enter.

Business owner Bill Wood said 18 trucks were inside the repair shop when the fire broke out.

"They are all about $150,000 a piece," Wood said as he watched crews put out hotspots still burning.

The service office and parts department appeared to suffer the most damage.

Wood lamented the loss of all the truck parts he had in stock.

"If I could have saved the parts department, I could have worked in the yard," he said. "But we will be back. It will just be a while."

Middle Georgia Freightliner is a third generation business opened by Wood's father 50 years ago and is now operated by his sons.

"We just celebrated our 50th anniversary," he said.

Come back to macon.com for updates.

This story was originally published February 2, 2018 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Ga. 247 reopens after major fire at Middle Georgia Freightliner."