An Atoka firefighter was burned early Monday when part of a roof collapsed and trapped him inside a burning house in the Rhodes Estates neighborhood. He was treated and released and is recovering at home, according to the Atoka Fire Department.

Dispatchers received a report of a structure fire on Ash Rene Drive at about 4:34 a.m. Oct. 19. Atoka crews arrived around 4:43 a.m. and found heavy fire at the back of the home. The homeowners were already outside when firefighters went in.

At about 4:51 a.m., a firefighter called a Mayday after a section of the roof came down and pinned him inside. Crews on scene worked to free him and brought him out of the house at about 5:02 a.m., roughly 11 minutes after his call for help.

He was conscious and breathing but had suffered burns. A Tipton County Baptist ambulance crew took him to the Med Burn Center for treatment. The department has not released his name.

“We are thankful that our firefighter is home and recovering,” Atoka Fire Chief Bill Scott said. “When the Mayday was called, crews worked together to reach him and bring him out. I am grateful for their actions and for every agency that assisted us. Our focus now is on supporting him and his family as he recovers.”

Ten agencies responded to the fire: the Atoka, Munford, Brighton, Millington and Covington fire departments, Gilt Edge Volunteer Fire Department, Three Star Volunteer Department, Tipton County Fire, Shelby County Fire and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Department.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the fire. The department has not said what caused it.

The family lost everything in the fire, according to Caitlyn Wiggins, who drives the school bus for the family’s children and is collecting donations on their behalf. In a post Monday in the Fans of Atoka, TN Facebook group, Wiggins said the home was a total loss and the family escaped with only the clothes they were sleeping in.

The Atoka Fire Department thanked all responding agencies and personnel for their work in rescuing the firefighter and fighting the fire.

How to help the displaced family

Wiggins said the family needs boys clothes in sizes 10-12, girls clothes in sizes 14-16, women’s medium and men’s large (38-40). Cash and gift cards for restaurants, groceries and household necessities are also welcome.

Donors can message Wiggins through Facebook to arrange a meeting. Wiggins said she is in direct contact with the mother and all donations will go straight to the family.