A quick-thinking off-duty police officer helped pull a wheelchair-bound resident to safety Monday morning as fire tore through a two-story home in the 1000 block of Imperial Court in Mobile, according to Mobile Fire-Rescue Department officials.
Mobile 911 dispatch received reports of a residential fire in the area just after 11 a.m. When MFRD crews arrived, they found flames and smoke pouring from the front door and through the roof at the back of the house, fire officials said.
Two people were inside the home when the fire broke out. One occupant managed to get out on their own without injury. The other, a disabled resident who uses a wheelchair, needed help escaping the burning structure.
That help arrived from an unexpected source. An off-duty Saraland police officer, who is also a former Mobile Fire-Rescue Department firefighter, happened to be driving through the area when he spotted smoke rising over a hill near the home, according to MFRD. He stopped and got the wheelchair-bound occupant out of the house safely before fire crews arrived on scene.
Fire officials credited the officer’s fire service background and quick action with preventing a much worse outcome. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire, MFRD said.
The residence sustained significant damage from the fire itself, as well as from smoke and the water used to extinguish the flames. Damage assessments were still being conducted as of Monday, according to fire officials.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. MFRD said the investigation remains open as crews work to pinpoint how the blaze started.
Imperial Court sits in a residential area of Mobile, and the fire serves as a reminder for area residents of the importance of home fire safety, particularly for households with elderly or disabled family members who may need extra time or assistance to evacuate during an emergency. Fire officials routinely encourage residents to maintain working smoke detectors on every level of the home and to have an evacuation plan in place that accounts for any household member with mobility limitations.
Mobile Fire-Rescue Department has not released additional details about the identities of the residents involved or the off-duty officer who assisted in the rescue. South Alabama News will provide updates on the cause of the fire as they become available from MFRD investigators.