An off-duty Cobb County police officer on an early-morning drive spotted an intense house fire on Mt. Tabor Church Road near Dallas and quickly called Paulding County Fire & Rescue shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, they found the home engulfed in flames and a man trapped in a bedroom inside, officials said. Crews pulled him from the house and he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Paulding County Fire Chief Garrett Brubaker called the loss heartbreaking and said firefighters had to work in extremely dangerous conditions to reach the victim.
As reported by WSB-TV, the off-duty officer told dispatchers there were people trapped inside, triggering a full response from county crews. “This is a heartbreaking loss for a family and our community,” Chief Brubaker told the station, adding that “our crews worked under extremely difficult conditions to locate and remove the victim as quickly as possible.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and officials have not yet released the victim’s identity, according to the outlet.
Paulding County Fire & Rescue responds
Paulding County Fire & Rescue, led by Chief Garrett Brubaker, employs more than 220 paid professional personnel and reported responding to 19,244 total 911 calls in 2024, according to Paulding County Fire & Rescue. That network of stations and trained crews is what county leaders relied on when the pre-dawn blaze broke out.
Investigation and safety resources
Officials plan to release additional details as fire investigators determine what sparked the blaze, WSB-TV reports. The department is urging residents to double-check that smoke alarms are installed and working. For those who cannot afford one, administrative assistance is available by calling 770-222-1160, the station notes. County officials also encourage residents to follow updates from Paulding County Fire & Rescue for safety guidance and next steps.
Local context
This is not the only deadly residential blaze to rock Paulding County in recent months. Hoodline previously reported on a November 2025 house fire that left a man dead and another person hospitalized in a deadly November 2025 blaze. As investigators work to piece together what happened here, officials and safety advocates are repeating a familiar message: working smoke alarms and early 911 calls save lives.
