Man injured in fire

A Redkey man was in critical condition this morning in the burn unit at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne following a fire at his home Saturday.
Mitchell Clay, 42, 226 S. Meridian St., Redkey, suffered second- and third-degree burns over about 25 percent of his body, Redkey fire chief Randy Young said this morning.
Clay was in the home’s attached garage when the fire started, neighbors said Saturday. He was able to get out of the garage, and then went into the house to evacuate his two sons.
Shad Fields, who lives further south on Meridian Street (Indiana 1), saw the smoke while driving and wondered if it was his home before arriving at the scene.
“When I pulled up I parked my truck and noticed it was Mitch’s house. I was looking for him out here somewhere and I seen him standing over there by himself,” said Fields, pointing to a spot on the east side of Meridian Street across from the Clay house. “As I walked up to him … the closer I got, he was burnt from head to toe, had skin hanging everywhere.”
Fields then led Clay to the sidewalk while getting the attention of emergency personnel at the scene.
Clay was transported to Jay County Hospital by Jay Emergency Medical Service. He was then taken to the hospital in Fort Wayne by Lutheran Air helicopter.
Firefighters were called at 10:01 a.m. Saturday and were on the scene two minutes later with three trucks and 16 firefighters responding. A section of Meridian Street was closed for about two hours as they fought the fire, which was out at 11:45 a.m.
The garage was destroyed, and part of the home also sustained damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.