Fire tore through Cook Brothers Funeral Directors and Cremations yesterday afternoon, prompting a rapid response from both the funeral home staff and local firefighters. Pastor Tamarkus Cook, the owner of the funeral home located on the 200 block of NW Broad Street in Fairburn, risked his own safety to ensure the remains of those entrusted to his establishment were secured, defying the instructions of emergency personnel. According to FOX 5, Cook said, "If I was not able to get those loved ones out of that facility, I would have been in there with them, amongst them."
Smoke inhalation from the blaze, which generated significant black smoke visible in the surrounding area, led to treat one individual at a local hospital. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation and no further injuries have been reported, the fire persisted through the night. Flames were still observed as late as 10:45 p.m. last night. The community support emerged promptly to assist, with the city of South Fulton sending a truck to aid Fairburn firefighters, as they labored to contain the fire well into this morning.
The funeral home, which Pastor Cook helped to restore in 2018, stood as a testament to his commitment to the local community—an embodiment of both grief and celebration of life now charred by the unexpected inferno. In a moment where material loss seemed to converge with the potential for an immeasurable loss of trust, Cook's actions sought primarily to honor the sacred commitment to those who had passed and to their families. "While I’ve lost, in essence, everything that I have, I am so grateful that I didn’t have to have the conversation tonight that your mother was destroyed in a fire that destroyed my property," Cook told FOX 5.
For people like Johnny Arnoard, whose son Lamar was among the remains inside the funeral home when the fire erupted, the distress was palpable. Arnoard, who rushed to the scene after learning about the fire on Facebook, was fraught with concern. "I wondered, did they get my son out?" Arnoard told FOX 5. Fortunately, the remains of all five individuals were successfully removed and have since been reunited with their families at a local church.
Despite the dire circumstances, Pastor Cook and his team are prepared to continue to provide service to the community. In the face of devastation, the resilience of the human spirit, as demonstrated by the quick actions of Cook, his staff, and the firefighters, resonates closely with the community's collective heart. Further developments on this story, including the investigation into the fire's cause, will be reported, as noted by Channel 2 Action News, with coverage starting at 4:00 p.m.
