MS Coast man rescued from burning apartment by neighbors dies from injuries
A Gulfport man died Wednesday after being rescued by neighbors from a burning apartment unit Tuesday morning.
Gulfport Fire Chief Billy Joe Kelley confirmed the resident’s death.
The structure fire happened at Sugar Mill Apartments, a 2-story, 58-unit complex on Mill Road. Kelley said the call came in at 10:24 a.m. he responded with seven units and 24 firefighters.
“Upon our arrival, we found fire showing from a bottom-story apartment,” Kelley said.
Firefighters arrived at the scene as the victim was carried out of the unit by neighbors.
“The tenant was life-flighted in critical condition,” said Kelley. “There were also two neighbors with minor injuries transported, one due to smoke inhalation and the second with a minor burn to his hand.”
In addition to a severely damaged unit, three other units sustained smoke damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Leeroy Sorrels, a Sugar Mills resident living in another building, said he helped carry out the victim from the burning apartment. He said another resident carried the victim to the front door. Then Sorrels pulled the victim by his feet out of the unit. The other rescuer had to stop, Sorrels said, because he couldn’t breathe from all the smoke.
The interior of the victim’s apartment was completely charred, the door ajar and all windows broken. Most of the neighboring windows were also broken.
Sorrels said he became aware of the fire from a loud noise and a column of smoke that filled the Sugar Mills Apartment complex’s courtyard to the point he couldn’t see anything. Sorrels said he was nicked by flying debris at some point.
Michael Polk Sr., another Sugar Mills resident and upstairs neighbor to the victim, said he could see the flames from the road while he was backed-up in traffic.
Polk said he knew the man who was assisted out of his apartment. Polk said he used to run errands for him, as he had limited mobility and used an oxygen tank.
At the scene, bubbling and melted paint spoke to the heat of the blaze. Wall cubbied that held fire extinguishers had melted against the wall, dropping the extinguishers to the ground. Many hours after the fire, a burn smell lingered.
The apartments’ manager said she wasn’t sure the cost of the damage caused by the fire. She said she was in the office, noticed the smoke and rushed to call neighboring residents to the apartment where the fire started.
“I just thank the Lord he spared my place through all this.” Polk said. “But I feel for them as well.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2024 at 5:03 PM.
