Fire Witness "I Felt Pretty Helpless"

Firefighters say the flames were shooting out all sides of an apartment that caught on fire and killed the tenant inside.

The fire started early Tuesday morning at a wood-framed garage apartment on Westwood Street in Midtown Mobile. Fire officials believe Vincent Milne didn't completely extinguish his cigarette before going to bed and it caught the apartment on fire.

Once the fire was out, Milne's body was found inside the bathroom. Steve Huffman with Mobile Fire-Rescue says Milne tried to stay alive by breathing through a wet towel. "I mean this is a worst case scenario. You waking up and your house is on fire. You know a lot of times when we have fatalities, they're usually asleep they never even know it happens."

Neighbor Eric DeJesus says he got out the fire extinguisher but it just burned too quickly. "I was just standing next to the tree in the front yard just looking in, just trying to see anything listen for anything. So, I felt pretty helpless and don't like that feeling."

Twelve hours earlier, Milne was in a bicycle accident in his neighborhood and firefighters responded. They say he got so hot that he fell off his bike.