Old St. John House fire remains under investigation

Published 4:30 pm Friday, July 19, 2024

BROOKHAVEN — Volunteer Firefighters with 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 Mississippi’s State Fire Marshal Office. Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said they called the State Fire Marshal Office to assist with the investigation Monday. 

“We just wanted to see if there is anything more to it,” Rushing said. “Our normal thing is to call them on fires we have questions about. We call them to assist.” 

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Rushing said Friday the fire was still under investigation by the Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office could not provide any further comment about the investigation but did confirm they were investigating the fire. It is the second fire this week currently under investigation.

Sunday night, McKenzie Metals suffered a fire destroying the office building and scale house. The business is located at 979 Sawmill Lane NE. Brookhaven Fire Chief Jeff Ainsworth said Monday morning the scrapyard fire was under investigation by the State Fire Marshal Office.

Read more about the general process for fire investigations by reading this story published in March. 

Monday fire

Firefighters were initially dispatched around 1 a.m. to 1322 Old St. John Road. A smoke column and glow could be seen from about 2 miles away. 

On scene, the home was a blazing inferno with just the studs, exterior walls and foundation visible. 

Efforts to contain the blaze and protect nearby structures were successful. One trailer did suffer minor heat damage. A vehicle near the fire was saved. The driver side mirror had started to melt from the heat but no other damage could be seen. 

Firefighters worked for nearly three hours before clearing the scene Monday morning at 4 a.m.