Man screamed for help as fire raged
AN elderly Tweed Heads man fell from his wheelchair while trying desperately to escape a ferocious fire that had engulfed his bedroom.
Fire crews made the tragic discovery after rushing into the burning unit, where neighbours had heard harrowing screams for help only minutes earlier.
It was just after 9am yesterday when residents of Flamingo Pl were alerted that something was wrong.
Large black clouds of smoke billowed from a tiny unit, while John Atkinson screamed for help from inside.
Neighbours tried to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, to no avail, while the 68-year-old tried to beat the flames with a broom.
Resident Lorraine Thorold said she screamed at Mr Atkinson to get out of the house, but by the time he tried to escape, the flames were too large.
Multiple calls were made to triple-0 and several fire crews were on the scene within six minutes, but there was nothing that could be done to save the home or Mr Atkinson.
Danyl Abel, who lives across the road, said when he arrived he couldn’t hear anyone screaming inside.
The neighbour, who arrived just before fire crews, said he grabbed a hose and tried to put the fire out, but there was no stopping it as it blew out the windows.
“When we got there, there was no way anyone could get in there without all the kitand-kaboodle,” he said.
“It was well and alight.”
Mr Atkinson had only returned to his home of 10-plus years four months ago, after surgery to amputate one of his legs.
Neighbours and nearby shop workers said he was a quiet man, who kept to himself.
They said Mr Atkinson had no children, and his only visitors were carers and his brother.
Fire investigators from Sydney arrived at the unit late in the afternoon. They worked into the darkness, truly leaving about 6pm to return at first light.
A Tweed police officer guarded the scene overnight, despite investigators deeming the blaze to be non-suspicious.
Tweed Fire Station officer Price Conlan said firefighters had tried to rescue Mr Atkinson.
“Unfortunately while they were searching (for the trapped person) they have come across a deceased person in the bedroom,” he said.
Resident Laurine Sanders, who lives in an adjoining unit, said the loss of independence had taken a toll on Mr Atkinson, who relied on carers visiting daily.
“I remember thinking it was sad on Monday night, because some boys came around to restart his car ... it hadn’t been driven in a year and a half,” she said. “He told me he was going to sell it, because he couldn’t drive any more ... and now this.”
Investigators are expected to spend most of today inspecting the scene before returning to Sydney.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.