Victim of blaze listed as critical

A Watertown man is in critical condition at a Syracuse hospital after an apartment at 168 Sterling St. caught fire Saturday morning.

Watertown Fire Chief Daniel J. Gaumont said it was "unlikely" that the victim, Michael R. Stokes, was going to survive his injuries.

"His condition was not good," the chief said. "We could easily have a fatal fire here."

A man sitting on the porch at the home Saturday afternoon said his sister was dating Mr. Stokes, 31, who was alone in the apartment when the fire began. The victim was going to be placed in a hyperbaric chamber at the hospital, which is used to help force oxygen into the bloodstream.

"He'll keep fighting," said the man, who did not want to be named.

Times records indicate that Mr. Stokes lived in Apt. 3 of the building as recently as August of last year. It was unclear if he lives in the apartment that caught fire, or was just visiting.

City police were at the scene helping to notify the tenants about the fire when firefighters arrived at 5:24 a.m. Mr. Stokes was found in the first-floor apartment shortly thereafter.

"Engine 1 initiated an aggressive fire attack and forced entry into apartment 1, on the first floor which was the apartment of fire origin," said Chief Gaumont in a prepared statement.

Firefighters Jason K. Ormsby and Bryan Clemons discovered the unconscious man behind a door in his apartment and removed him from the building.

This is the third person Mr. Ormsby has rescued in less than a year. He was working for Northern Oswego County Ambulance Service on Aug. 13 of last year when he helped two female swimmers who were in danger of drowning at Rainbow Shores in Lake Ontario.

"I can't say enough about the guy," said Chief Gaumont. "He eats, sleeps and breathes the Fire Department."

Saturday morning's fire was contained to the lone apartment.

"They couldn't see a whole lot, but they found him and got him out," the chief said. Mr. Stokes was taken to Samaritan Medical Center by Guilfoyle Ambulance and later transferred to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse.

A nursing supervisor at the Syracuse hospital said Mr. Stokes was in critical condition late Saturday.

Two other residents were treated Saturday morning at Samaritan and later released. Chief Gaumont said those victims were the building manager and his girlfriend. Their names have not been released.

Chief Gaumont said there were no working smoke detectors in the apartment where the fire began. At least five people were in the building at the time the fire started.

"It was a relatively simple fire but as we all know, smoke is deadly," he said. "It was likely a contributing factor to finding the victim in his apartment."

Watertown Battalion Chief Paul F. Fitzgerald said electricians were restoring power to the building, sans the apartment where the fire originated. Once that was accomplished, the residents were allowed back in.

People were milling around the home by 2:30 p.m. A woman sitting on the porch said the only lingering problem in her apartment was the smell of smoke.

Investigators have determined that the fire was accidental and likely started in the kitchen area.

Dale H. Moone, an investigator with the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control, was called to the scene. Firefighters from Fort Drum responded to fight the fire. Roughly 20 off-duty city firefighters were called in to assist the 15 on-duty firefighters, Chief Fitzgerald said.

After the fire was extinguished, a live cat was found hiding under the bed, according to the Fire Department release. It was returned to the victim's girlfriend.

The apartment building was thrust in the limelight last summer when a man was shot in the head and torso during an argument Aug. 6 of last year in Apt. 5. Israel Archilla-Colon, 27, stumbled outside, collapsed onto a grassy area across the street and later died. Dominique M. Clifford, 21, was sentenced to eight years in state prison because of the crime.

Times records indicate that there was a fire at the same building on Oct. 24, 1984.

The house is owned by the Rev. Wayne B. Wager, North Syracuse.