MARIETTA, Ga. — A first responder dedicated to helping others said he’s facing an emergency himself.
It started with a fire at Tarron Harris’ home this past August on a kitchen stove. “I realized the fire was too big and I couldn’t get it out,” said Marina, his wife who was cooking at the time. “So, I just started screaming for my daughter to call 911.”
The fire department arrived within minutes, with Tarron right behind them returning from the store.
“I just hoped out of my car and just ran up the back side of the house,” he said.
It’s a scene the 37-year-old has seen dozens of times before as a Forsyth County Fire Fighter. He just never expected it to happen at his own home.
“Until you go through it and you see the other side of it, what happens afterwards, you can’t understand what it does to you,” he said.
The fire destroyed everything they owned – including clothes, furniture and wedding photos. Marina suffered minor burns, but everyone got out alive, including their two children.
Nearly four months later, their home is far from livable and they did not have insurance.
Tarron said they’re having trouble finding enough money to get by. “After this, all I wanted to do was present that I was okay, so that everybody else felt that they were okay,” he said.
To help, Tarron started a GoFundMe page a few months ago, but it’s something he never wanted to do. “[Fire fighters] have trouble asking for help, because we are the help,” he explained.
Tarron added it could take up to a year for the home repairs to be complete. They’re currently living in a temporary apartment until it’s complete.
