TULSA, Oklahoma -
The family of a man who died in an early morning mobile home fire said Jerry Williams had just celebrated his 50th birthday last month.
Jannie Ellison, Jerry Williams' sister, said the family is still trying to process their loss.
"He was a good church-goer, we just saw him in church last night," Jannie Ellison said.
She said it still hasn't sunk in that her brother is gone.
A passerby called 911 around 4 a.m. Monday, when they saw flames shooting out of the mobile home. Jannie Ellison was also there, as fire investigators were digging through what was left
"I think right now, our family is still in shock a little bit," Jannie Ellison said. "We haven't quite processed everything that happened. We've just been making phone calls."
And while Jerry Ellison didn't make it, the other man who was home at the time did make it out. Tulsa Fire Department said he went to the hospital with burns over about 15 percent of his body.
Ellison said the man's name was Bryan, and that Jerry had been giving him a place to stay.
"He had a soft heart. Whenever people were down on their luck, he just did everything he could to try and help them," Jannie Ellison said.
She said she believes that Jerry's in heaven now, and has to rely on her friends and family to get her through.
"Mostly people have just been saying whatever you need, whatever you need call us. Um, at this point, I'm not even sure what to ask for," Jannie Ellison said.
Several neighbors mentioned that if the fire trucks hadn't arrived when they did Monday morning, they don't how bad the damage could have been to other homes.
Firefighters believe the fire started in the kitchen and continue to investigate. They don't suspect foul play.
A woman driving by the home in the 5500 block of East Oklahoma spotted the fire and called 911.
Firefighters believe the fire started in the kitchen area of the mobile home.
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