Wednesday, March 25, 2026
-Photos and video from Floyd County Government-
The Floyd County Commission honored firefighters on Tuesday for their efforts in battling the blaze that caused extensive damage to the Historic Floyd County Courthouse on Monday.
Commissioner Scotty Hancock read the proclamation:
“The firefighters who answered the call demonstrated exceptional bravery, professionalism, endurance, and dedication in the face of a significant emergency. Their efforts helped to protect the surrounding properties, support the safe evacuation of occupants, and preserve public safety at a time of great concern for Floyd County residents.”
Rome-Floyd County Fire Chief Troy Brock thanked the community for its support and the firefighters who were on the scene for 24 hours.
“We lost a valuable piece of our community, but the main thing is, nobody was hurt.” He said. “We do some minor damage on some of the building tops from Fifth Avenue to Fourth Avenue, but it’s minor damage.”
He also thanked city and county leaders.
“We had everything we needed to fight that fire,” Brock said. “I know you have probably read some stuff, but we had all the resources we needed to fight that fire. We needed nothing else. We have the best support from both commissions, both governments, and we are blessed as a fire department.”
The proclamation also recognized the coordinated response of the Rome and Floyd County Police Departments, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and all who helped secure the area and support emergency operations.
Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord also recognized Facilities Manager Ryan Davis and Facilities Manager Blake Oyler.
“Their actions bought us probably ten minutes, based on what I know about the situation,” McCord said. “That was a critical ten minutes because a lot happened in less than that time in that building. The ability for them to get through and get everybody out, then for public safety to get everybody out, and then fire had a chance to go through.”
McCord added that some quick thinking averted what could have been a total catastrophe.
“I didn’t think about it at the time, but I found out from Atlanta Gas Light, who told me that whoever shut the gas off, probably did the best thing they could have done, because debris fell on the gas line and severed it,” he said. “I remember Troy Brock handing Blake the tool and asking him if he knew where the gas shutoff was, and Blake said yes, and that he could have it off in 30 seconds. So, thank goodness we did not have an additional accelerant on the Tribune Street side, pushing natural gas into the fire.”
Again, there was no major damage to any other buildings, and most importantly, there were no injuries.
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