A man was found dead inside a downtown Dover building after a major fire early Wednesday morning that sent seven other people to the hospital and left 17 people displaced, according to city officials and first responders.
Dover police said 57-year-old Gowens Williams was the victim inside the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pamela Flint lived in one of the third-floor apartments with two family members and said they heard someone beeping a car horn and looked outside to find the awning of a first-floor business on fire.
She and her family were able to exit the building through a staircase, where smoke made it difficult to breathe, she said. Once outside, Flint saw flames inside the first-floor stores.
“I’m thankful to the woman who kept beeping her horn or it could have been a lot worse,” she said.
Flint knew the man who died.
“He was the sweetest man you’ll ever meet,” she said. “Everyone called him ‘Pops.'”
The blaze was first reported around 2:40 a.m. on the northeast corner of West Loockerman and South New Streets, in a mixed-use building containing both apartments and businesses, according to a joint news release from the Dover Police Department, City of Dover Fire Department, City of Dover Fire Marshals Office, and City of Dover Emergency Management.
At least seven fire departments responded, and it took them until 8 a.m. to bring the fire under control.
Seven others went or were taken to Bayhealth Kent Campus for treatment of minor injuries and/or smoke inhalation. They have all been discharged with the exception of one woman who returned for further treatment of symptoms relating to smoke inhalation that are not life-threatening, police said.
Two businesses located on the first floor of the building were affected by the fire. That OG Ish, an apparel and accessories store owned by James Owens, had two locations on West Loockerman Street, with another business, Sold Out Sneaks, located in-between.
Owens said Williams helped him at That OG Ish “with renovations, with customers. He was a jack-of-all-trades.”
“He often worked in the shop and was in there late,” Owens said. “He was the greatest man you ever met. He always had a kind word for everyone.”
Owens said he lost between $40,000 and $50,000 in merchandise in the fire, he said, including about $20,000 worth of watches.
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“My store is completely over,” he said. “They’re probably gonna condemn the building.”
Loockerman Street, from Queen Street to Governors Avenue, was expected to be closed much of the day Wednesday, along with several surrounding streets, as crews worked to clear debris from the blaze.
Utility workers and firefighters were still on the street Wednesday dealing with the aftermath.
Anyone affected by the fire is instructed to contact the American Red Cross at 800-733-2767.
The Downtown Dover Partnership in cooperation with the CenDel Foundation has opened the “Still Strong Dover Fund” to help the downtown businesses and residents rebuilding after the fire.
For information on donating, see the website cendelfoundation.org.
