A late-night fire Friday forced the evacuation of Habersham Hills Cinemas in Mt. Airy. Approximately 50 people were inside the theater when the fire broke out around the building’s exterior sign. They were all safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
Marquee burning
Moviegoers were still inside the theaters, and employees were preparing to close up for the night when someone noticed smoke coming from the marquee at the building’s entrance.
Clarkesville, Cornelia, and Habersham County firefighters responded to the scene shortly after 10:30 p.m. on May 9 after a 911 caller reported the fire.
Clarkesville and Cornelia firefighters deployed ladder trucks. Firefighters attacked the fire from the outside, working from a landing in front of the sign. Fire officials reported the fire was fully extinguished at 12:19 p.m.
Initial reports from the scene indicate the flames did not extend into the building. It is unclear at this time how much damage was caused and what caused the fire.
Georgia Theater Company (GTC) owns the theater. District Manager Kelsey Fox tells Now Habersham that nothing inside the theater was damaged.
According to Fox, fire officials said they can reopen the theater after an electrical inspection. She hopes to have that done in time to reopen on Saturday, May 10.
Now Habersham will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.
