South MS firefighters wrestle washed up gator in Hurricane Francine. Here’s what happened

The Pass Christian homeowner’s dog was barking wildly at the door.

Despite the gusting winds and pelting rain as Francine moved in Wednesday night, the homeowner investigated and found an alligator in the yard. Pass Christian firefighters responded to the call.

When firefighter Jeffrey Klemmer arrived, colleagues were already at the house on east Second Street. Sure enough, there was what Klemmer estimated to be a 6-foot gator.

Firefighter Marcos Chacon and fire Capt. Andy Purchner threw a tarp over the gator. Then Chacon gamely straddled the animal while Purchner taped its mouth shut.

“You can imagine the alligator was pretty angry at that point,” Klemmer said. The firefighters wrangled the gator into the back of the truck “and off he went.” They released the gator in a habitat more to his — and the homeowner’s — liking.

Rain poured down the whole time.

The firefighters didn’t get much of a break during the storm or the runup to it. Calls started Tuesday evening, when a couple of boaters lost power to their sailboat a mile or two west of the harbor. Firefighters rescued the men, pulling them aboard the city’s public safety boat.

“We’ve just been busy, busy,” Klemmer said Thursday. “Now, everything’s kind of calmed down and we’re cleaning our equipment, getting everything back into service 100% and waiting on our next call, whatever that might be.”