Nearly 2,000 firefighters, along with friends and family, gathered Thursday at Truist Park to honor Master Firefighter Preston Fant, the first DeKalb County firefighter to die in the line of duty.

Fant, 53, died on Sept. 9 after becoming trapped while fighting a warehouse blaze in Lithonia. He leaves behind his wife, Leigh, and five children.

"These were Preston's words: If I die doing what I love to do, then it would have been worth it," Burnt History Baptist Church Senior Pastor Matt Petty told the crowd, recalling Fant's commitment to his work and community.

Family mourns fallen firefighter Preston Fant

Loved ones gathered at the service to remember Fant, who they described as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and man of faith whose smile, laughter, and generosity left a lasting mark on those who met him.

Percy Dixon, his son-in-law, described Fant as someone who never hesitated to help others.

"There's one time I remember specifically, he got home from shift after the fire station, there was somebody broke down across the street from his house. He didn't even pause. He went inside, got his tools, went out there, got the car running so the person could get home. Just the kind of man he was," Dixon said.

Firefighter Kollin Robertson was a recruit when he met Fant.

"He was a great man, a helluva firefighter," Robertson said. "Just like any of us, anything can happen. It's just the dangers of the job. We know the risks. It's what we signed up for."

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said that Fant's loss was deeply personal.

"When you lose a member of your family, because on every occasion I saw Officer Fant, there was a nod and a smile, and when you lose someone like Officer Fant, you know he gave the ultimate sacrifice," she said.

In a video message played during the memorial, Leigh Fant, Preston's wife, told the audience about the man she met, married, and will miss.

"I'm not really sure how to do life without you, but I know you'll be guiding along the way," she said.

Following the memorial, Fant was laid to rest in a private graveside service at Kennesaw Memorial Park.

Flags lowered across Georgia 

Gov. Brian Kemp ordered flags to be lowered at the State Capitol and in Cobb and DeKalb counties until sunset on Thursday. In a statement, the Governor said Fant "gave his life in service to others."

The fire that damaged the Lithonia TV and film production facility remains under investigation.