Woman jumps from balcony to escape apartment fire at Maison De Ville
By Lacey Beasley
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MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — After a big blaze off Airport Boulevard damaged multiple apartment units Thursday night, one tenant made a split-second decision that saved her life.
The two-alarm fire happened at the Maison De Ville apartment complex.
Marquila Jones said she and her partner were in their second-floor apartment when they smelled smoke. After finding out there was no good way out, they made a brave decision to jump.
“It was too smoky, and we couldn’t breathe, so we decided to jump over the balcony,” said Jones.
Moments before, Jones’s partner smelled smoke in the apartment and opened the front door to find the outside hallway in a black cloud.
The apartment across the hall was on fire.
“I was playing my game, and she was getting ready for work the next day, so we didn’t know what was going on, so we had to make the quick decision,” said Jones.
From across the street, they watched their home burn.
Now, she said all the second-floor residents must relocate, which means dozens of people will be without a home during the holidays.
She’s thankful to walk away unharmed.
“Blessed to be alive, definitely,” she said.
Jones said Saturday, residents will be allowed back inside to see the damage for the first time.
For now, they are staying with a friend until they can find a new place.
Mobile Fire Rescue said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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