TALLULAH – A Tallulah man was killed and several people suffered smoke inhalation after a car crashed into an apartment building and caught fire early Thursday.

Robert Gray, 50, was killed when his 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier ran into an outdoor staircase at the Starr-Lodge Apartments around 6 a.m., assistant police chief Willie Turner said.

Gray was picking up a friend at the complex when the accident happened.

A witness told investigators she &#8220was taking out the trash when Gray pulled in as normal,” Turner said. &#8220All of a sudden, the car accelerated and didn’t stop. She saw the whole thing.”

The car burst into flames, trapping some people upstairs.

&#8220They were all treated for smoke inhalation at Madison Parish Hospital,” Turner said. &#8220It does not appear that they were injured seriously.”

Turner said the Tallulah Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, but Gray was dead at the scene.

&#8220It was a gruesome sight,” Turner said.

Turner said witnesses characterized the incident as a possible seizure behind the wheel, but the official cause remained under investigation.

Turner said this morning an autopsy was scheduled for today. Coroner Thomas A. Neumann was unavailable.