Coyote Beach Sports Fire: Gulf Shores Officer Gets Sleeping Owner Out Seconds Before Flames Engulf Building

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Coyote Beach Sports made it through Hurricane Isaias without a scratch. It did not make it through Tuesday morning. A pre-dawn Coyote Beach Sports fire destroyed the business a block off the beach in Gulf Shores, and owner Terry Shelton, who was asleep upstairs, says a Gulf Shores police officer is the reason he got out alive.

The fire broke out shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, beneath the old beach house that holds the business. Shelton escaped. The cause remains under investigation, but Gulf Shores Police Chief Dan Netemeyer said investigators are leaning toward a malfunctioning lithium battery.

An Officer Follows the Smell of Smoke

According to Netemeyer, a Gulf Shores police officer on patrol noticed the smell of smoke in the air and went looking for its source. He found fire underneath Shelton’s building, and it was growing.

“He tried to extinguish it initially,” Netemeyer said. “He thought he could put it out. He was unsuccessful in doing that.”

With the fire spreading, the officer turned to making sure no one was inside. He did not know Shelton was upstairs.

‘My Eyes Were Burning’

Shelton was asleep when a noise woke him. At first, he said, he thought he was watching a police chase.

“I saw two police officers run by with flashlights, so I assumed they were chasing someone, but then I realized my eyes were burning,” Shelton said.

The building was filling with smoke. Shelton made his way toward the front of the house.

“So I got over to the door and opened the door to let the smoke out, and there was a police officer,” he said.

The officer had reached the front door at the same moment, on his way to check for anyone inside.

“He said you got to get out right now,” Shelton recalled.

They got out just in time.

“Right as they cleared away from the building, three, five-gallon gas cans ignited and engulfed the entire building from underneath,” Netemeyer said.

The building was a total loss.

A Retired Adjuster’s Close Call

Shelton is a retired insurance adjuster and has spent much of his career walking through the aftermath of other people’s disasters. This one, he said, was too close for comfort.

“I feel like if that officer hadn’t been downstairs making noise, I may have slept through it, and he didn’t know I was up there, so I feel pretty good about that,” he said.

The fire came just days after Hurricane Isaias struck the Alabama coast, prompting evacuations, bridge closures and curfews in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Coyote Beach Sports came through the storm without any damage.

Shelton said he plans to reopen, though he does not yet know where.

Why Lithium Batteries Are a Growing Fire Concern

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones and laptops to power tools, e-bikes, scooters and golf carts. When they are damaged, overcharged, poorly made or paired with the wrong charger, they can overheat in a process known as thermal runaway, producing intense heat and toxic smoke and sometimes reigniting after flames appear to be out.

Fire officials say these fires can start with little warning and spread quickly — particularly when they occur near fuel or other flammable materials, as Netemeyer described Tuesday. Battery safety was a central theme for several southwest Alabama fire departments during Fire Prevention Week earlier this month.

The National Fire Protection Association and local fire departments offer several recommendations:

• Buy batteries and devices that are listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
• Use only the charger that came with the device or one approved by the manufacturer.
• Do not charge devices under pillows, on beds or on couches, and avoid charging them overnight or while no one is around.
• Unplug devices once they are fully charged.
• Stop using a battery that is swollen, leaking, hot to the touch, making noise or giving off an odor, and move it away from anything that can burn if it is safe to do so.
• Store and charge e-bikes, scooters and similar equipment away from exits and away from flammable materials.
• Take damaged or used batteries to a recycling drop-off location rather than throwing them in household trash.

Gasoline Storage and Working Smoke Alarms

The cans of gasoline that ignited beneath the building are a reminder that how fuel is stored matters. Safety guidance calls for keeping gasoline only in approved containers, in small quantities, in a detached shed or garage and away from living spaces, heat sources and anything that could spark.

Shelton’s experience also underscores the value of early warning. Fire officials recommend working smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on every level of a home or business with living quarters, tested monthly, along with a plan for getting out quickly.

What Comes Next

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have not released a damage estimate or identified the officer who alerted Shelton.

South Alabama News will update this story if investigators confirm the cause or Shelton announces where Coyote Beach Sports will reopen.