Fire at old St. John House still under investigation
Published 4:30 PM Friday, July 19, 2024
BROOKHAVEN — Volunteer firefighters from New Sight Volunteer Fire Department and Heucks Retreat Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fully involved house fire Monday morning. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
The fire remains under investigation by Lincoln County and the Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office. Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said they called the state fire marshal’s office Monday to assist with the investigation.
“We just wanted to see if there was anything else going on,” Rushing said. “Normally, we call them when there are fires that we have questions about. We call them to help.”
Rushing said Friday that the fire was still under investigation by the Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office could not comment further on the investigation, but did confirm that they were investigating the fire. It is the second fire this week that is currently under investigation.
Sunday night, McKenzie Metals was hit by a fire that destroyed its office building and weigh house. The company is located at 979 Sawmill Lane NE. Brookhaven Fire Chief Jeff Ainsworth said Monday morning that the fire at the scrap yard was being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Read more about the general fire investigation process in this story published in March.
Monday fire
Firefighters were initially dispatched to 1322 Old St. John Road around 1 a.m. A column of smoke and glow could be seen from about 2 miles away.
On site, the house was a huge fire, with only the beams, outer walls and foundations still visible.
Efforts to contain the fire and protect nearby structures were successful. One trailer sustained minor heat damage. A vehicle near the fire was rescued. The driver’s side mirror began to melt from the heat, but no other damage was visible.
Firefighters worked for nearly three hours before they were able to clear the scene of the accident at 4 a.m. Monday morning
