Atlanta, GA — An Atlanta institution caught fire early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters battled a blaze at the Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon in Midtown Atlanta, located at 295 Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The Atlanta Fire Rescure Department reports that, “A fast moving fire gutted the building this morning just before 1 a.m. Two employees were able to escape without injuries.”

According to Atlanta INtown, “The Krispy Kreme has been serving up doughnuts at the location for nearly 60 years. Former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal made headlines when he bought the franchise location in 2016. O’Neal posted on his Instagram account this morning that he would rebuild and the location would return ‘stronger than ever.'”

The store has a connection to Atlanta’s Civil Rights history as well. According to ESPN, “After Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in April 1968, the Krispy Kreme fed mourners by donating 150 dozen doughnuts to Atlanta churches.”

Here are additional photos of the Krispy Kreme, provided by the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department.

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