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Movie Studio Burns Next to Homes. Is There Legal Liability if Residents Suffered Severe Burns or Smoke Inhalation?

In early May, a large building at the Atlanta studio complex of filmmaker Tyler Perry caught fire, sending flames into the night sky. The blaze began shortly before 9 p.m. on a weekday inside the studio and burned fully through the building’s exterior surface.

“The building was all in flames,” said one resident who lives in a high-rise apartment next door to the studio complex. Flames shot as high as nearby trees, which are about as high as a six-story building. “The building started popping,” said the resident. “Whatever the fire was hitting was blowing up. There were plenty of sparks coming over here where we are.”

Luckily, there were no reports of any injuries such as severe burns or smoke inhalation among studio employees or local residents. If there were, the studio might have legal liability for injuries suffered by employees or local residents.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, and they were able to limit the damage because the building is separated into sections. The cause of the four-alarm blaze and the amount of damage to the complex was not immediately known.

Tyler Perry, whose films include “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Why Did I Get Married?”, arrived at the complex as the fire raged and spoke with the local fire chief. His studio complex includes a 200,000-square-foot studio, five sound stages and a 400-seat theater in southwest Atlanta. It also includes a chapel, dining hall, gymnasium and a five-acre pond on the grounds. The complex also includes an art department, where sets for shows are designed.

If you or someone you know suffers an injury such as third degree burns or smoke inhalation, you should call Kramer & Pollack LLP in Mineola, New York so that the personal injury attorneys in that firm can determine whether another party has legal liability for injuries suffered, and if the injured party has a strong legal case.

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