An electrical fire heavily damaged a Ludowici home Monday morning, but quick action by police Chief Robert Poppell helped save the life of a young man and a small dog.
At 8:30 a.m., Poppell responded to a fire alarm call at a home in the 500 block of North McDonald Street. When he arrived, he said he saw smoke coming from the home.
Poppell entered the home, which was filling with smoke, and woke up the young man. The chief also found the dog and got it out.
Two passersby helped knock on the windows and doors, Poppell said.
The young man told Poppell he was home alone. Soon, Ludowici/Long County Fire Department Capt. Gary Fairchild and Long County sheriff’s deputies arrived.
The firefighters were able to contain the flames to the bedroom where it started. Fire Chief Christopher Moss said the fire appeared to have been started by a candle in the master bedroom.
The house sustained smoke damage and the bedroom was also heavily damaged, Poppell said. The Fire Department offered the homeowners assistance. They indicated they would stay the night with nearby relatives, the chief said.

Fender bender
An officer responded to a minor traffic crash on Highway 57 near the traffic light around 10:30 a.m. Monday, Poppell said.
The driver of a Nissan Pathfinder was leaving the parking lot of Ludowici Drugs and failed to yield to the driver of a maroon Ford Explorer, the chief said. Both parties declined medical treatment. There were minor dents and scratches from the collision, Poppell said.
The driver of the Pathfinder was determined to be at fault, the chief said.

Man injects self at jail
At approximately 1:45 a.m., an officer saw a Honda Civic stopped at the traffic light on Cypess Street and remain there after the light had turned green. The Civic finally started as the light was turning yellow, Poppell said.
The officer pulled the vehicle over for improper stopping in the road. While talking to the driver, the officer noticed the driver’s eyes were not responding to the light, Poppell said.
A Long County sheriff’s deputy arrived, and driver agreed to a field sobriety test, which implied he was impaired, the chief said.
The driver was taken to jail, searched, processed and locked down for the night. Later, he was spotted acting suspiciously on security cameras by the dispatcher who notified an officer to return to the station. Somehow, the driver concealed a syringe during his search, and he is believed to have injected himself with what was in it, Poppell said.
The driver was charged with crossing the guard lines of a jail with contraband, a felony. He was also charged with DUI.

Traffic
Officers recently issued one citation for an unlicensed driver, two for open container, four for driving too fast for conditions, three for window tint violation, two for loud music, four for speeding and one each for driving without insurance, defective equipment, suspended registration and failure to obey red light.