Fire in downtown Macon near MLK Boulevard knocks out power nearby

A fire Thursday morning in downtown Macon near the Tubman Museum and Martin Luther King Drive knocked out power on surrounding blocks.

The first official call reporting the fire came in shortly after 7:30 a.m., Bibb County Fire Department Chief Shane Edwards told The Telegraph at the scene. The address is 720 Fifth Street, a building between Plum Street and Pine Street, a block off MLK.

Firefighters were still extinguishing flames until late morning. No one was hurt in the blaze, according to Edwards, and it’s not known whether anyone was inside the building at the time.

The Fire Department does not know what caused the fire yet.

Traffic lights were out along MLK Drive from the Poplar Street intersection down to Pine Street. Edwards said crews were working to get power back on as soon as possible.

The building does not have an official name on Google Maps, though some other online map services list the address as Eagle Siding, an apparently defunct business.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 10:57 AM.