Tenn. Firefighter Calls MAYDAY Rescuing Autistic Man From House Fire in West Knoxville

Jan. 18--KNOXVILLE -- A Knoxville firefighter was injured this morning when he attempted to rescue a 25-year-old autistic man who had refused to leave the burning home in West Knoxville.

The resident and Senior Firefighter Chris Medley were taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to Knoxville Fire Department spokesman Capt. D.J. Corcoran. The resident then was sent to the Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville with second- and third-degree burns to 15 percent of his body, according to Corcoran.

Medley was being treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns to his neck and ears at UT Medical Center.

A resident of 3916 Deerfield Road called E-911 at 9:35 a.m. to report the blaze and told a call processor an autistic child remained in the home. Despite the icy roads, the first engine arrived within two minutes of the call for help, Corcoran said.

With the report of a person still in the burning home, firefighters went into rescue mode as opposed to fire fighting, Corcoran said.

"That was our main goal was getting the victim out of the structure," Corcoran said.

Medley entered through the front door and made his way a rear bedroom of the split foyer-style home. He found the autistic man, who was hiding. He was carrying the victim -- who weighs more than 200 pounds -- when he encountered growing flames at the front of the house.

"He was on his way out and saw flames blocking his way," Corcoran said. The firefighter was trapped in a hallway that leads to stairs and the front door.

Medley at 9:43 a.m. yelled out a "Mayday" call on his radio. According to Corcoran, the fire captain on Engine 17 made his way to the door with an attack line, knocking the fire back enough to help Medley bring out the man.

The firefighter collapsed in the front yard on his back and was treated with oxygen while the resident was taken directly to a waiting ambulance.

The firefighter was taken to the hospital a few minutes later.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Corcoran said it appears the flames began in the basement area of the home directly under the portion of the home where the autistic resident was hiding on the second level.

Neighbors described flames shooting 15-20 feet from windows and the front door of the home.

A woman who fled the burning home was too distraught to talk.

Neighbors said a grandmother, the autistic man, a mother and her two elementary school-age children lived in the rental home. The family had moved in about two months ago, neighbors said.

The area American Red Cross is assisting family members.

More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel.