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Georgia Theatre Burns, ATF Investigates
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by Jordan Yerman | June 23, 2009 at 07:49 am
234 views | 6 Recommendations | 6 comments
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The Georgia Theatre, an Athens, GA landmark, burned down yesterday. Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are examining the remains of the theatre to determine the cause of the blaze.
The Georgia Theatre is a mainstay of the Athens music scene, and has hosted acts such as REM and the B-52, as was meant to host this weekend's AthFest.
Nearly 20 members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Response Team joined Athens-Clarke fire inspectors and State Arson Unit investigators to make cursory checks of the fire-ravaged building Monday.
Flames from the rapidly spreading fire shot as high as 100 feet in the air, witnesses said, and the roof caved in within an hour of firefighters' arrival.
The Georgia Theatre had just undergone over $700,000 in renovations, and has been a labor of love for the owner
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Wilmot Greene, Georgia Theatre owner and Gainesville native, is playing another kind of waiting game. He’s trying to figure out what to do next.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 15:56 on June 23rd, 2009
Some of the acts are moved to Morton Theatre, I think...
http://www.georgiatheatre.com/index.htm?Page=http://georgiatheatre.com/main.htm
at 15:59 on June 23rd, 2009
A little after 9:00, firemen still dousing from the crane, from Washington Street drive through lot
Benthic has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:44 on June 23rd, 2009
I took these of the fire at the historic Georgia Theatre in Athens between 7:30 and 8:30 Friday, June 19. The first one, I took in my car as I was getting ready to turn from Prince onto Pulaski. I was totally freaked and didn't even attempt to get further into downtown -- I just pulled into a spot right in front of Brown's Barber Shop on Washington and started running up the street -- the video is from then. A police officer shooed me away, so it's short.
I like the progression of the photos, too, b/c it shows how the firefighters had really battled the fire -- the smoke and flames pouring out of the building in the first shots are significantly less by the last photos. I can't imagine how intense and hot and scary that work must be, but it never ceases to amazed me, the people who put themselves in harm's way to help the rest of us.
juliephillips has contributed a photo to this story.
at 23:44 on June 23rd, 2009
Awe, so sad for the owner of the theatre. Theatre is a labour of love from all aspects.
at 03:06 on June 24th, 2009
Why is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigating a fire??
at 06:46 on June 25th, 2009
ATF showed up to help, for one thing to speed up analysis.
The following info is quoted from other sources:
____________________________________
Thank you so much for all your support. You all have been so amazing, we are feeling your love.
Here's what i know so far,
There is still no word on the cause of the fire or the structural integrity of the building. This is a pretty slow process and federal agents are on the case. They know it was an accident, and it started in the back right corner of the building, that's about it for now.
All the employees are ok and everyone is thankful for the benefit shows. We have raised a month or so of payroll already. Thank you all for buying the tshirts and coming to see pgroove, the whigs, and dead confederate. More shows are being planned, stay tuned for more information about those.
As for the future of the Georgia theatre we have every intention of rebuilding. At this point we have no idea if that is possible. I believe in my heart that with enough help it can come back. The numbers are really scary. It's going to be a long hard climb, but I think I'm up for it. If you had been to the theatre recently you know that it looked, sounded, even smelled better than ever, so we had a lot of momentum going in there. The timing of this fire couldn't be worse,,, it just plain sucks in every way. We are setting up a system so you can donate money online to help us out. We are also working on setting up a nonprofit company to accept larger donations tax free. It's going to take millions to build her back and we are frantically working on how to make it happen.
People always asked me why I worked all those crazy hours and put all the money back into the place, why my hair was turning grey and I was so pale. I always replied 'because every single night we are open someone has the time of their life in here'. All of the calls, emails, facebook groups, etc. that we have received in the last few days proves that I was right. I am glad that you love the Georgia Theatre as much as I do. So stay hopeful and together we can build her back better than ever!
cheers,
Wilmot
(owner)
p.s. the bigass fan is still hanging,,, trippy
p.p.s. pass this around please.
_____________________________________
...fundraiser for the Georgia Theatre. This is a great opportunity for all you ATL Georgia Theatre fans to be able to help out. Big thanks to Marshall Chiles and everyone at the Laughing Skull for putting together this great event. Its a great cause and a great club.
You should definitely check it out
What: Marshall Chiles and Friends Comedy Show Fundraiser for The Georgia Theatre
Why: Help Rebuild The World Famous Georgia Theatre While Watching a Great Comedy Show at the Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta.
Where: 878 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309
When: June 25 - June 28
How: Tickets and more info:
877-LAFF-AT-U ( 877-523-3288)
http://vortexcomedy.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=71
Thanks to everyone for the generous outpouring of support we've experienced in the wake of this tragic event.