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Man remains in hospital after fatal fire A Medford man remained in critical condition Tuesday night after his wife died in a house fire. Joe Phipps, 82, was at Providence Medford Medical Center after suffering burns and smoke inhalation in the fire, which broke out at 9:15 p.m. Monday at his home at 2049 Amy St. His wife, Mary Ann Phipps, 77, died in the blaze. Medford police Lt. Tim George said Tuesday night that investigators were still working to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Although the home had a smoke detector, Medford fire marshal John Pierce said it wasn't known if it was working. Damage to the home was estimated at $90,000. The fire department is holding a meeting from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Kennedy Elementary School, 2860 N. Keeneway Drive, to talk to neighbors about the fire. Firefighters endured heat above 1,500 degrees and zero visibility before finding Mary Phipps in their second search through the home. She was found in a back bedroom of the home. A neighbor said she had osteoporosis and had trouble getting around. Joe Phipps was able to stagger out a door into the garage. He was helped by a neighbor to a pickup, where he collapsed. He asked bystanders to get his wife in the hallway. A neighbor tried, but could crawl only a few yards inside before he had to get out. Firefighter Randy Cooper was treated and released at the scene for burns and smoke inhalation. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA