Georgia Theater Company (GTC) is expressing gratitude and praise for its employees and local emergency responders following a fire that broke out late Friday, May 9, at Habersham Hills Cinemas. GTC is the parent company of Habersham Hills Cinemas.
In an interview with Now Habersham, GTC District Manager Kelsey Fox applauded the quick actions of theater staff and the fast response from first responders, crediting both for preventing what could have been a more serious incident.
SEE RELATED: Fire at cinemas contained to sign, quick response prevented worse outcome
Good job, quick response
“I think the employees did a good job. They got the building evacuated before the fire department arrived,” Fox said. “From what I understand, the fire department arrived fairly quickly. That’s what we want.”
Fox explained that the fire occurred during the last showings of the evening—typically a slower time for the theater. “Had it been during an earlier show set, there would have been at least twice as many people in the theater,” she noted, adding that she did not know the exact number of people evacuated.
In addition to commending the speed of the fire department’s response, Fox said their efforts ensured the fire was quickly brought under control. “They were able to put the fire out without it spreading,” she said.
She also expressed appreciation for one fire captain in particular, who kept theater management informed throughout the incident. “One of the fire captains on scene explained that one reason the fire didn’t spread to the rest of the building was due to the quick response time,” she said.
SEE ALSO: Habersham Hills Cinemas reopens after fire
Another key factor in containing the blaze was the theater’s construction. “The fire wasn’t able to spread into the building because there is a firewall behind that area,” Fox explained. “The firewall behind the sign, it did what it was supposed to do.”
Back in Business
Thanks to a quick electrical repair, Habersham Hills Cinemas reopened the following day.
“We had an electrician come out on Saturday morning and they capped off the wires from the areas that were damaged and pulled that wire, cut it and capped it and made sure everything was safe,” said Fox. The theater resumed operations around 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Repairs Underway, Future Improvements Planned
Though the theater is operational, the building’s appearance still reflects signs of the fire damage.“It’s not very pretty walking up to the building right this minute,” Fox admitted.
However, repair work is expected to begin soon. A vendor based in Gainesville who regularly works with the company is expected to assess the damage and begin repairs within the next few weeks. “He’s pretty quick,” she said.
In the short term, the theater plans to repair and repaint the damaged sign and remove the old neon lights. Longer term, GTC plans to upgrade the signage with LED lights designed to mimic neon.
“It’ll look nice,” Fox said of the planned improvements. “They will just be newer and a better-looking version.”
Despite the fire, Fox said she was relieved by how smoothly everything went under the circumstances. “It played out about as well as it could have,” she said.
