COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Firefighters in Maury County are still working to determine the cause of a massive funeral home fire.
Investigators were on the scene at the Williams Funeral Home for much of the day Wednesday. Crews tackled flare ups and hot spots from the large fire and trying to figure out what ignited the attic.
In Columbia when there's a death in the family many people came to Williams Funeral Home, but as the horror of Tuesday's massive fire settles residents believe it's created a death in the community.
Initially firefighters thought all bodies had been removed when the fire got so out of control they had to pull back. Wednesday morning they made a harsh discovery.
"There were two bodies that remained in a refrigeration unit and one body that was actually in the crematory," said Lee Bergeron with the Columbia Fire Department.
Even with one body still locked inside, firefighters don't believe the fire got to any remains.
"We just want their loved ones to know that they're intact and the fire was kept from migrating to the basement," said Bergeron.
Meaning families already mourning the loss of a loved one now have to deal with the stress of this tragedy and what it means for everyone who lives here.
Officials said that the bodies that so far have been recovered were sent to another funeral home in town.
