Island fire victim Herb King remains in critical condition

Herb King, the Hilton Head Island developer who was badly burned in a fire Tuesday, remained in critical condition Thursday in an Augusta, Ga., hospital, but was showing some signs of improvement, hospital officials and a Web site created by friends and family said.

King, 54, of Brams Point Road, was burned over 90 percent of his body while fueling a fire pit near his home when the flames escaped the pit, fire officials said Wednesday.

Officials at Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital said King has been in critical condition since being airlifted to the burn ward Tuesday night.

But friends and family members at the hospital who are posting condition updates say there have been small improvements in his prognosis.

A noon post on the Web site www.carepages.com on Thursday said King's temperature had stabilized enough to allow surgeons to operate. On Wednesday afternoon, a post had said King's temperature was too low for surgery.

It appears King remains in a coma and on a ventilator, posts said.

King has required several transfusions and several pints of blood, friends said. Family and friends are working to get approval for a blood drive for King in the Hilton Head area. No event had been scheduled as of Thursday.

Nearly 200 people turned out for a prayer vigil for King at a neighbor's home Wednesday night, a friend said.

King is the owner of Principal Development on Hilton Head. He has been a Realtor and developer in the area for 30 years, friends said.