The funeral for DeKalb County Master Firefighter Preston Lee Fant, who died in the line of duty last week, will be held Thursday, September 18, at Truist Park, officials confirmed Friday.
Fant, 53, a 21-year veteran of DeKalb County Fire Rescue, died Monday while attempting to rescue a colleague during a warehouse fire at Digital Thunderdome, an independent film studio on South Stone Mountain Lithonia Road. He is the first firefighter in the countyโs history to die while actively fighting a blaze.
Born in Marietta and raised in Mableton, Fant graduated from Pebblebrook High School before dedicating his life to public service. Over two decades at Station 24, he earned certifications in swift water, rope, trench, and structural collapse rescues. Colleagues remembered him as calm under pressure, a leader in the toughest conditions, and “the very definition of a firefighter.”
