DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Heavy smoke blanketed a DeKalb County neighborhood early Monday morning as firefighters battled flames shooting from an abandoned warehouse on Paul Edwin Drive.

The fire broke out around 3 a.m. at the former paper mill, now used for storage. Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene, using ladder trucks to attack the flames from above before moving inside to extinguish hot spots.

Leon Miller, who lives behind the building, woke up to sirens and flashing lights.

“I saw that the building was on fire and that was it, you know?” Miller said.

The warehouse sits dangerously close to homes, separated only by a narrow tree line. Miller said the building previously housed a business that sold washing machines and other appliances, but had been close

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