Funeral home leader plans to keep serving families after fire

Owner to continue serving after funeral home fire

A funeral home owner plans to continue service after his business burned in a Sunday afternoon fire. Owner Pastor Tamarkus Cook rushed into the flames to save the remains in his care. 

FAIRBURN, Ga. - The owner of a Fairburn funeral home is working to pick up the pieces after a fire destroyed the property Sunday afternoon.

What we know:

The fire happened at Cook Brothers Funeral Directors and Cremations.

Owner Pastor Tamarkus Cook shared that flames spread quickly through the building.

Despite the danger, Cook and his cousin rushed inside to save the remains entrusted to their care.

Related: Funeral director rushes into burning building to save remains

"I did for others what I would have wanted someone to do for me," he said.

Cook says it took about 10 to 12 minutes to maneuver through the building. He credits God for their ability to safely remove the remains before the fire intensified.

Those loved ones have since been relocated to other facilities so that families can continue the grieving process without interruption.

Cook's cousin was taken to the hospital, where he's being treated for symptoms of smoke inhalation and is expected to recover.

"We received a little criticism for putting ourselves in harm's way for individuals who had already passed," Cook said. "But it wasn't just the individuals who had passed that were in our minds — it was their families."

While the funeral home will continue serving families, Cook says operations will look different for the time being.

"We have other facilities that we have utilized even before this tragedy, and now this allows us to utilize them continually," he said.

What we don't know:

Officials have not determined what caused the fire.