GAINESVILLE - A 20-year-old Gainesville man is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a blind man from his burning home on the south side of town Monday morning.
Tray Ross was working at a poultry plant off Purina Drive when he saw the burning home and decided to go inside and help the occupant.
"I opened the door, and I got on the ground... I crawled on the floor and when I finally found him I said, 'I'm going to get you out of here,'" said Ross.
Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said both the victim and Ross were treated at the scene by EMTs and the victim was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where he is hospitalized in ICU with "injuries and complications from smoke inhalation."
Canada said while fire professionals don't advise anyone entering a burning building of any kind for any reason, it turned out OK in this instance, but "we could have just as easily ended up with two fatalities."
He added that when firefighters arrived around 3:30 Monday morning, they found the house abut 60 percent engulfed in flames.
Sunday
July 13th, 2025
5:12PM
