BROOKHAVEN — Two July fires in Lincoln County are under investigation by the Mississippi’s State Fire Marshal Office. Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said they called the State Fire Marshal Office to assist with the investigation in a house fire on Old St. John Road on July 15. 

“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.” 

A spokesperson for the Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office said she asked for an update and would provide one when it became available. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal Office could not provide any further comment about the investigation but did confirm they were investigating the fire earlier in the month.

As previously reported by The Daily Leader, fire investigations are methodical and sometimes lengthy.

On the night of July 14, 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. 

For comparison, the fire investigation of the Stahl-Urban fire took from February 26 to April 23. It took over a year for the Fire Marshal Office to finish the investigation into the Brookhaven Apartments which burned on February 26, 2023 and killed two residents. The investigation concluded on April 23.

Check back for more updates.