Fire destroys 7 apartments in Niceville (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

NICEVILLE — The 84-year-old survivor of a fire at an apartment complex early Tuesday is safe at her son's home in Bluewater Bay, along with her most prized possession — her cat.

Anne Rank was the first resident of the College Gardens Apartments when they opened on Madison Street in Niceville in 1992, said her son, John Porche. She was the last person to escape the fully involved apartment complex.

View photos from the scene of the fire »

Thomas Kilpatrick, who lives in a neighboring complex, pounded on the back door of Rank’s ground-floor unit until she answered the door. Kilpatrick, one of two maintenance men for College Gardens, shrugged it off when asked about saving her life.

“I told her to get out. ‘You got to go,’ ” he said.

But Porche, who was trying to salvage some of his mother’s possessions later Tuesday, said Kilpatrick saved his mom with only moments to spare.

“If it wasn't for him, I don't think she would have been able to get out,” he said. “She has arthritis real bad.

“She’s in kind of a state of shock right now,” Porche added. “It happened so fast and to lose 84 years of your history — it’s just gone.”

Flames already were coming through the front of her one-bedroom apartment and into the closet of her bedroom, where she was in bed, Porche said.

Rank told him that Kilpatrick pounded on the back door until she made it through the living room while holding her cat, Shannon.

“He grabbed her, shoved her out,” Porche said. “They were just within minutes of having her pass out (from the smoke.)”

Before they arrived at the scene about 1:30 a.m., firefighters had been told an elderly woman might still be trapped inside an apartment. They focused on trying to reach her until they learned she had escaped, Niceville Fire Chief Tommy Mayville said.

The three-alarm fire gutted six apartments in the front building and destroyed one in a neighboring building, Mayville said. He estimated it caused at least $1.2 million in damage, which included six vehicles parked at the complex.

The fire is believed to have been started by someone who tossed a “smoking material” onto a bag on the first floor outside the unit next to Rank’s, Mayville said.

The fire burned that unit and made its way to the second floor, where at least one resident had to jump out a window to escape the flames. He landed on an air conditioning unit on the sidewalk below but was not hurt, Mayville said.

No one in any of the apartments was injured.

Two firefighters from Eglin Air Force Base were taken to the base’s hospital, where they were treated and released. One suffered a back injury and the other had heat exhaustion.

Firefighters from Destin, Ocean City-Wright, South Walton, East Niceville and North Bay also assisted at the scene.

A fire wall helped save four apartments at the complex.

The Red Cross was called in to assist the seven families that were left homeless.

Marquita Dooley, who lives next door and is Kilpatrick’s cousin, was sitting at her computer talking to her son in Iraq when she said she heard a “pop” about 1:30 a.m. She looked outside and could see the flames reflected off the trees and the cars parked out front. She then called 911.

She said that when Kilpatrick came out of his apartment, the first thing he said was “Where's Ms. Rank?” He then went next door to help her.

Kilpatrick deflected questions about his heroic act. Fellow maintenance man Patrick Holcomb said that’s just how he is.

“He doesn't like a lot of attention, but he does what he's supposed to do,” Holcomb said.

Read earlier updates on the fire

10 A.M. UPDATE: A fire at the College Garden Apartments on Madison Street early Tuedsay in Niceville caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage and left seven families homeless.

Fire departments were called out at about 1:30 a.m. to reports of the two-story apartment complex burning and an elderly female possibly trapped inside, according to Niceville Fire Chief Tommy Mayville.

When the first trucks arrived, six apartment units, which sit off Palm Boulevard, were fully involved, he said.

"All our attention was focused on (one of the) upstairs apartments due to the possibility of entrapment," he said. The woman was not trapped, firefighters learned later.

Mayville said the cause of the fire appeared to be a "smoking material" that landed on a bag on the first floor. The bag caught fire, spread to a nearby first-floor apartment and then up to the second floor.

A man in a second-floor unit jumped out of his window and landed on an air conditioner, but was not hurt, Mayville said.

Firefighters from Destin, Ocean City, South Walton, Eglin, East Niceville and North Bay assisted at the scene.

Two firefighters from Eglin, who had fought a fire at Camp Pinchot Sunday afternoon, were injured during the effort. One suffered heat exhaustion, while the other twisted his back, Mayville said.

Both were treated and released from Eglin's hospital.

In addition to gutting six units and making a seventh unlivable, the fire destroyed six vehicles and caused $50,000 in damage to another nearby building, Mayville said.

Seven families were left homeless. The Red Cross has been called in to assist them.

Firefighters were able to save four units.

7 A.M. UPDATE: NICEVILLE — First responders are still on the scene of an apartment fire that started early Tuesday morning.

The fire on Madison Street has extended to four units at the complex. According to Capt. Dennis Mark with East Niceville Fire Department, the fire started around 1:30 a.m.

Mark said there were no injuries, but several vehicles and a motorcycle parked near the units were destroyed in the fire.

East Niceville Fire and Ocean-City Wright assisted Niceville Fire Department on the call.

The State Fire Marshal's Office will handle the investigation if cause is not determined.