Historic Shaq-owned Krispy Kreme in Atlanta that fed MLK mourners damaged by fire

Firefighters saved most of the building after the fire started in the back of it.

Published: February 10, 2021 12:20pm

Updated: February 10, 2021 1:04pm

A historic Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop in Atlanta, owned by former NBA star and current NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal, was heavily damaged by fire overnight Wednesday.

Fire crews extinguished the flames shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Firefighters saved most of the building after the fire started in the back of the structure.

Battalion Chief Douglas Hatcher said there was no injuries as a result of the fire, according to the Associated Press. He also said the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

The Atlanta Midtown Krispy Kreme first opened back in 1965 and was one of the first locations established outside of the company’s main bases of operations, which were in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.

Following Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in April 1968, this Krispy Kreme fed mourners, donating 150 dozen donuts to churches in Atlanta, Georgia.

O’Neal purched the store in 2016.

"I hope no one was hurt and we will bounce back better than ever," he said.