Southside house fire claims life of one resident

Savannah Fire & Emergency Services investigators continue their examination of the scene of a fatal early morning house fire in Oakdale Subdivision.

Savannah firefighters were dispatched to 405 Lee Blvd. just before 5:40 a.m. Thursday on a report of a possible structure fire. "When they arrived on scene, the firefighters discovered smoke coming from the second floor windows of the three-story brick house," a department spokesperson says.

"Firefighters forced entry into the house and initiated an attack on the flames while other firefighters assisted a resident down from a second floor balcony. It was then that they were notified of another resident still inside the home."

Firefighters began a systematic search of the second floor of the home and located the victim inside a bedroom at the front of the house. They removed the victim from the home and administered CPR until turning care of the victim over to emergency medical personnel. EMS transported the victim to Memorial University Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.

The 58-year-old victim was identified by residents of the home as Jerome Abernathy.

"Firefighters continued the battle the flames inside the house and were able to contain the bulk of the fire to the second floor of the home. However there was minor extension of the flames to the third floor and attic areas. The remainder of the house sustained smoke and heat damage," the department says.

A total of ten people, four adults and six children, lived in the home. "All of the residents, with the exception of the victim, were able to flee the home without injury. They are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross."