Sugar mill explosion claims life of Whitfield native

Published 11:32 pm Thursday, February 14, 2008

There’s a picture from Abby Wilkerson’s wedding reception of her cousin, Kelly Fields, sitting at a table with his natural exuberance for life on display.

“Every time I see that picture, I think, ‘That is the table I want to be sitting at!’” Wilkerson said.

Fields, 40, died early Thursday morning at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta from injuries he received during an explosion at the Imperial Sugar Co. near Savannah. Friends and family were told that Fields was not hurt in the initial blast, but that he went back into the plant to assist co-workers and was severely burned in a second explosion.

“That kind of tells me an awful lot about him and the real selfless person who was looking after other people and ended up losing his life as a result of it,” said Mickey Shealy, the head minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Dalton, who helped officiate Fields’ November wedding.

The sugar refinery blast and accompanying fire at the plant in Port Wentworth on Feb. 7 has claimed at least eight lives. Sixteen other workers remained hospitalized at the burn center, 14 in critical condition, according to a hospital official. Seven people were found dead in the rubble, and one worker remains missing. Sugar dust is thought to be the cause of the accident, but an official cause has not been determined.

“With the fallen walls and floors, the mass chaos made it difficult for people to escape,” Wilkerson said. “They re-entered, trying to lead those people to safety, but were then caught in a second explosion. Someone then carried Kelly out of the rubble.”

“It probably never entered his mind that something else could happen, just that somebody needed help,” she said.

Fields moved to the Savannah area a year ago after growing up in Whitfield County. He had been living in Rincon and working at the plant for a few months and enjoyed it, Wilkerson said.

“Kelly was all about experiencing life and the fun that comes with it,” she said. “His fun-loving personality made his nieces gravitate toward him more than anyone else.”

A 1986 graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School, Fields excelled at track. He still shares the school’s record for the high jump at 6 feet, 6 inches, which he set in 1984, according to the school’s Web site.

Marybeth Meadows, a childhood friend who grew up down the street from Fields, remembered his gregarious nature and his athletic endeavors.

“I remember he had a tree house and everyone would go over there and hang out,” Meadows said.

Shealy has only been in Dalton since July 2007 but helped officiate Fields’ wedding on the day after Thanksgiving. He said he didn’t know Fields that well, but had grown close to his family.

“He was just a really great guy,” Shealy said. “I’ve heard an awful lot about him in the past few days that I didn’t know. In talking to folks, I found he was just a fine guy.”

Shealy was preparing for the burial of Said Shaheen, a Dalton carpet pioneer who passed away last week, on Wednesday when he received word that Fields’ condition was worsening. Fields suffered burns on more than 70 percent of his body, but was able to talk to his wife and his sister before doctors put him in a coma.

Shealy drove to Augusta to provide support for the family. He said the outpouring of support for the victims and their families was “amazing” as church groups, the Salvation Army and other organizations supplied everything from food to Internet access to places to stay.

“For me, seeing pastors there praying for families, just carloads and truckloads of food being brought, and the corporate community and church community coming together to help, it was just a tough place to be at all, but there were folks in Augusta trying to make it easier for everyone there,” he said.

A blood drive at First Presbyterian Church originally scheduled for March 10 to benefit Fields will still be held in his honor.

The Northwest Whitfield High School Class of 1986 alumni have established a track scholarship in Fields’ memory. To contribute, contact Meadows at First Georgia Banking Co. at (706) 277-2600.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ponders Funeral Home.