Buckhead Saloon: Cause of fire under investigation

ATLANTA - Hours after the devastating fire at Buckhead Saloon was put out, investigators were still at the scene Monday evening trying to figure out how the blaze began.

Atlanta Fire says they noticed the fire around 8:11 a.m. Monday at the popular Atlanta sports bar. It sits just a few doors down from their fire station.

"Our firefighters called the fire in," said Jason Mclain, the Battalion Chief of Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. "They were on the second floor of the fire station which is a couple of buildings over.  They saw the smoke from the second floor.  They radioed that in."

Crews from Atlanta Fire, DeKalb Fire, Cobb Fire, and City of South Fulton Fire departments worked together to extinguish the fire.

Credit: March Teichner/FOX 5 Atlanta

"I looked out the window, saw all the fire trucks," said Leah Ellin, a resident in the building next door to the saloon.

"An APD officer came and told me 'let's evacuate this building immediately'," said Mandy Devore, another resident.

Together, Devore and Ellin helped evacuate residents and praised police and firefighters for their quick response.

"They've been great. The first responders have been great. Very efficient really," Devore said.

Mclain told FOX 5 Atlanta's Deidra Dukes that the roof of the bar collapsed.

"(…) that's creating a whole 'nother layer over the debris. We'll [be] battling that for quite a while," he said.

Mclain said he expects to remain on scene at the saloon for some time. Firefighters are trying to make sure none of the flames rekindle.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.