News

Back to News

Woman severely burned in latest house fire

Mar 19, 2010

A Jones County woman received critical burn injuries in a Wednesday morning house fire on Flynt Road in Laurel.
Deputy Chief Lee Garrick of the Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department said the unidentified “older” woman appeared to have received second and third degree burns over 85 percent of her body.
“She was sitting near the road when we arrived,” said Garrick. “We don’t know how she got outside.”
Lance Chancellor, public information officer for the Jones County Fire Council was traveling in the area when he heard the dispatch. He said he immediately headed to the scene and was among the first to arrive.
“Cindy Shoemaker, a medical first responder was also in the area and came to the scene,” added Chancellor. “Cindy provided the first medical care for the victim.
“We then had an unidentified nurse to stop to assist us. We didn’t get her name, but she was a blonde headed lady, wearing blue scrubs.”
Garrick added that the nurse had a burn kit with her and was a tremendous help in caring for the victim until EMServ Ambulance Service arrived.
“We’re just going to call that nurse an angel,” said Chancellor. “The burn victim was injured critically. It’s good to know that God had someone here for her.”
According to Garrick, who is also District 1 fire chief of the Jones County volunteer fire departments, firefighters were dispatched to 378 Flynt Road at 9:25 a.m.
“The first page dispatched us to a burn victim,” he said. “Then a second page came in telling us it was a house fire.”
When the call came in, Lee and three other firefighters were at the Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department prepping fire trucks ahead of the winter storm that is predicted for the area.
“When we got the call about a burn victim, I thanked God that we were already at the station,” he said. “We were able to get to the scene quickly.
“The home is a white pine structure, which is the hardest type of wood to put out. Although we got her in a matter of minutes, the roof was about to collapse when we arrive. The fire spread quickly.”
Fire units responding to the first alarm were Calhoun, Soso, Hebron and Pleasant Ridge. Second alarm responders were Shady Grove and Cindy Shoemake of the Sharon Volunteer Fire Department. Powers Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched on the third alarm, a call for manpower support.
Other responders were the Rev. Drew Blanton, Jones County Fire Chaplain; Dan McKenna, Jones County Fire Coordinator ; the American Red Cross; Jones County Sheriff’s Department; Dixie Electric; CenterPoint Energy; Calhoun Water Association; and EMServ.
Chancellor said an investigation of the fire revealed that the victim apparently suffered some kind of medical episode while cooking in the kitchen. She collapsed and when she came awoke, she found the house on fire.
“She was able to make it to the front door and was rescued from the front door by three men who where passersby,” said Chancellor. “They were able to drag her just under the porch. Unfortunately, we don’t have their names either.
“Things were quite hectic,” he added. “Our concerns at the time were for the victim.”
“We were also told that there was possibly a second victim in the house. There was a male residing at the residence with her, but fortunately we discovered that he was not in the house.”
The victim was moved further away from the house because of the intensity of the fire and the firefighters’ efforts to put out the blaze.
Chancellor noted that the victim was initially transported to South Central Regional Medical Center by EMServ Ambulance Service. She was later airlifted to the University of South Alabama Regional Burn Center in Mobile with “critical and life-threatening burns over 90 percent of her body, Chancellor said.

Copyright © 1999-2010 cnhi, inc.

Back to News