Shaq’s historic Krispy Kreme store ‘gutted’ in massive fire, vows to ‘bounce back’

Atlanta’s historic Krispy Kreme donut shop – owned by Shaq and has links with Martin Luther King jr. – was “gutted” in a massive fire on Wednesday morning … but the NBA legend vowed to fix it.

The fire broke out at the Ponce de Leon Avenue site just after midnight while 2 employees were still inside the store.

The two staff members were able to escape without injury, but the structure sustained heavy damage before Atlanta Fire Rescue could extinguish the blaze.

“A rapid fire ravaged the building this morning just before 1 a.m.,” Atlanta Fire Rescue said in a statement.

The video of the fire is savage – it’s a wonder no one was hurt. 11 Joe Ripley of Alive reports that the back of the structure was badly damaged and the famous giant donut menu melted down.

Shaquille O’Neal bought the store in 2016 – emphasizing its importance to the community … and to the country.

It opened in 1965 – one of the first Krispy Kreme stores outside of the company’s headquarters in North Carolina.

In fact, after Martin Luther King jr. Died in 1968, this specific store donated 150 boxes of donuts to locate churches and feed the mourners who flocked to Atlanta to pay their respects.