FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — New video shows what’s left inside a historic courthouse. Channel 2 Action News is gaining new insight into the cause of the fire and how crews are salvaging the remains.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Ryan Davis has thoroughly surveyed the outside of the burned-out Floyd County Courthouse. On Tuesday, he ventured inside.
“All right, so where are you?” Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen asked via cellphone.
“I am in what was the old courtroom, the largest room on the second floor, that’s now exposed to the open sky,” Davis said.
The room has been exposed ever since the fast-moving fire on March 23. NewsChopper 2 was overhead that day as the 134-year-old clock tower collapsed.
RELATED STORIES:
- Roads reopen near burned-out Floyd County Historic Courthouse. But structure’s future uncertain
- Investigators go into destroyed historic courthouse to see if it can be saved
- County services moving locations after historic courthouse burns
- ‘It’s just heartbreaking:’ Rome residents devastated by fire damage to historic courthouse
- Historic Rome courthouse burns, tower collapses
Davis, the Floyd County Facilities Manager, encountered piles of debris as he carefully worked his way through the building.
“How tricky is it to walk around in there?” Petersen asked.
“As you can see, there’s a lot of charred material. It’s unstable,” Davis said.
In some areas, the debris is three feet deep.
“It could be 100 tons. I really don’t know. It’s hard to guess. There’s so much volume, and you can’t see the depth on all parts of the floor,” Davis said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Using NewsDrone 2, Petersen watched as Davis made twists and turns, moving back and forth through what little remains of 134 years of Floyd County history.
“There were some really neat features inside that building. It’s sad not to see it anymore,” Davis said.
Davis said it could take a contractor up to four months to remove all the debris. After that, a decision is expected on whether the building can be saved.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
©2026 Cox Media Group
