A DeKalb County fire that tore through the South River Art Studio last Wednesday has left local artists reeling, with many losing years of work in minutes.
South River Art Studio fire
Sculptor Jonathan Imafidor said he woke up to the call no artist wants to receive and rushed to the scene on Fleetwood Drive. Fire officials said the blaze was difficult to fight because the studio sits in an industrial area where the nearest hydrant was farther away than usual.
“I just broke down in tears, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to witness,” Imafidor said. He added that sculpting is not only his passion but also how he makes a living, which makes the loss even more devastating.
Imafidor said he arrived to find his studio destroyed and decades of vision gone. “I peeped in, I couldn’t hold back tears, everything that I’ve worked for, for the past years, were all gone, right in front of me,” he said.
He estimates the damage will cost him thousands of dollars. Tools and equipment can be replaced, he said, but not the creative energy poured into each piece. “The equipment and the tools can be replaced, but the creativity that you put into those works you know for years it’s going to be difficult to replace some of those things, and that’s really what hits harder.”
Despite the destruction, one sculpture survived. The piece, which is destined for Atlanta’s Freedom Park, somehow made it through the fire. “Looking at everything gone and that piece just standing there, stretching it’s hands towards me, I couldn’t just hold back tears, it was very significant and I hope something powerful will come out from that piece,” Imafidor said.
Fleetwood Drive warehouse fire
DeKalb County firefighters first responded to the South River Art Studio fire early Wednesday after heavy flames tore through the metal warehouse on Fleetwood Drive just east of Moreland Avenue.
Crews spent hours pouring water on the blaze, stretching hose lines across nearby railroad tracks because the closest hydrant was farther away than in a typical neighborhood. No one was inside when the fire started and no injuries were reported. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Artists affected have launched several fundraisers to help rebuild. Find out more at southriverartstudios.com.
