Illegal Day Care Center Closed By Brookhaven City Fire Marshal

BROOKHAVEN, GA — The city fire marshal closed a day care center in Brookhaven last week, citing numerous safety issues. Officials said Precious Moments Nursery, located at 3776 Clairmont Road, was closed at 5 p.m. on May 8. Brookhaven Fire Marshal Joe Burge noted that the facility had numerous safety issues including no sprinkler systems, obstructed ingress and egress, and no fire barriers between the two floors.

“They were never issued a certificate of occupancy, yet they filed a forged document with the State of Georgia,” said Burge. “The Georgia Department of Early Care called us to inquire about their paperwork, which is how we were alerted to the problem.”

The facility was issued a stop work order and a citation for occupancy without a certificate of occupancy (CO). A total of 15 children, most under 18 months old, were at the location, according to the fire marshal.

“It is unconscionable that a business would put babies at risk without proper fire safety precautions in place. The reason Brookhaven did not issue a CO for this building is because it did not meet the bare minimum requirements of safety,” said City Manager Christian Sigman.

“This was a collaborative effort between several departments, including Building Inspections, Code Enforcement, and Community Development,” added Burge. “Working together, we were able to keep these toddlers out of harm’s way.”

Burge said the daycare is working with the city to obtain a CO and re-open in the future.