Published: May 21, 2008 11:10 am         

Longhorn’s burn victim stable in Georgia center; Sizemore plans to rebuild

“He’s hanging in there,” Longhorn’s Steakhouse Owner Steve Sizemore said of his father-in-law, Felix Hutchison.

Hutchison, 69, of Sallis, was burned on 62 percent of his body Tuesday, May 13, when the steakhouse in Newport exploded.

The state fire marshall has been called in to assess the cause of the fire.

“He is in stable but critical condition,” Sizemore said.

Sizemore added that Hutchison has already begun having surgery at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga.

A Dowdle Gas employee with the Durant office said the two workers, who were at the steakhouse, were not injured in the blast and they were only there to pick up a tank that had been disconnected.

The workers had been to the steakhouse earlier in the day to swap out a gas tank and all the preliminary safety tests had been completed, the employee said.

The steakhouse was considered a total loss but Sizemore said he plans to rebuild the restaurant.

However, it might be awhile before that happens.

Sizemore said he and his family want to focus on getting Hutchison home before they start the rebuilding process.

It could be anywhere from six months to a year before we being the rebuilding process, Sizemore said.

The Attala County Fire Department along with Sallis, Ethel, Carmack, Zama and Central Volunteer Fire Departments and the forestry service worked the fire for about five hours.