Georgia Theatre on fire.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A major fire erupted Friday at the Georgia Theatre, an Athens landmark and center of the local music scene, police said.

Witnesses on the scene said the fire, which began around 7 a.m., was a major blaze and that the theater would likely suffer major damage.

The Georgia Theatre, a converted cinema, has served as a music venue for many well known Athens bands, including R.E.M. and the B-52s.

Doc Eldridge, a former Athens mayor who is currently president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, said he saw a huge plume of black smoke when he arrived at his nearby office at 7:10 a.m.

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2009/06/19/athens_fire_georgia_theatre.html?cxntlid=brkng_nws_bnr

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Horrible news for anyone in the Athens, Georgia area. The place is a landmark, and I have a lot of friends that work their. Luckily, the building seems to have been empty when the fire started. The police have sealed off the area but I could see the flames earlier and they were several stories high.

:(

:cry:

have many recordings from many bands who have played there. All of them are stellar in part because of the quality of the sound in that place and the vibe in the room. What a loss.

local realtors from Lakeside Apartments had a small plane fly a banner around the burning building advertising their low rates for the upcoming University of Georgia school year. I've got a picture of it, but I don't know how to post it. What assholes.

This was inevitable.
Power is also out throughout the downtown area.

No one is allowed in yet. The fire marshall will investigate. A lightning strike may have been the cause. There was a huge lighting storm early Thursday morning. Much of downtown was without power then. I have not been by there yet. I have seen many great shows there. Hopefully, the owner can rebuild the venue.