Mobile Fire-Rescue Pulls Man From Burning Home on St. Stephens Road; No Injuries Reported

MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile Fire-Rescue crews rescued a man from a burning home on St. Stephens Road on Saturday, Nov. 7, and officials say no one was injured.

Update: Deaf resident escaped after daughter woke him, wife says

The man who got out of the burning St. Stephens Road home on Saturday night is deaf and was asleep when the fire started, according to his wife, Sue Skipwith, who rents the house. Skipwith said she was away when the fire broke out, and her first concern was whether her husband had made it out.

Skipwith said her husband is deaf and cannot hear.

Skipwith said her husband was roused by the smell of smoke and that their daughter rushed to the house to get him out. She added that her daughter had to come over and run to get him up.

He was not hurt, though Skipwith said the experience left him shaken. She said he is very nervous but okay, thank God, and that is all that matters.

The fire destroyed nearly everything the couple owned, and they are now staying with family while they work out what to do next. Skipwith said she lost all her clothes and could not salvage anything.

Skipwith said she had noticed a possible electrical problem in the room where the fire began. She said she had plugged something in that room the day before the fire and it sparked, so she unplugged it. Mobile Fire-Rescue has not released a cause and said the fire remains under investigation.

Mobile Fire-Rescue posted on its website Saturday that units were on the scene of a working residential fire in the 2400 block of St. Stephens Road and that suppression teams were working to keep the flames from spreading and to limit the loss.

In an update Sunday afternoon, the department said one male resident was rescued from the home during firefighting operations.

No injuries, no transports

Fire-Rescue officials said there were no injuries and that no one was taken from the scene by ambulance. The fire was contained and successfully extinguished.

The department did not release the name of the resident who was rescued, the extent of damage to the home, or how many units responded.

Cause under investigation

Officials said the investigation into the fire is ongoing. The cause had not been released as of Sunday.

The term “working fire” is commonly used by fire departments to describe a fire that is actively burning and requires a full firefighting response, as opposed to a call that turns out to be a false alarm or a small fire already put out.

A reminder as cooler weather arrives

While the cause of Saturday’s fire has not been determined, fire safety officials nationwide note that home fires become more common as temperatures drop and residents begin using heating equipment. The arrival of cooler fall weather along the Gulf Coast is a good time for households to review a few basic safety steps:

• Check smoke alarms. Test alarms monthly and replace batteries as needed. Install alarms inside and outside sleeping areas and on every level of the home.
• Use alarms made for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Standard smoke alarms rely on sound. Alarms with strobe lights and bed or pillow shakers are available for people who cannot hear a traditional alarm, and fire safety groups recommend them for anyone who sleeps without hearing aids or cochlear implants.
• Take sparks seriously. An outlet or device that sparks, smells hot or feels warm can be a sign of an electrical problem. Stop using it and have it checked by a licensed electrician before plugging anything back in.
• Give space heaters room. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters, and turn them off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Plug heaters directly into the wall. Avoid using extension cords or power strips with space heaters.
• Have a plan. Make sure everyone in the home knows two ways out of every room and where to meet outside.
• Get out and stay out. If a fire starts, leave immediately and call 911 from outside. Never go back into a burning building.

Mobile residents who need help with smoke alarms can contact Mobile Fire-Rescue to ask about available fire safety programs.

South Alabama News will update this story if Mobile Fire-Rescue releases more information about the cause of the fire.