Old St. John House fire remains under investigation – Daily Leader

BROOKHAVEN – Volunteer firefighters from the New Sight Volunteer Fire Department and Heucks Retreat Volunteer Fire Department responded to a large house fire Monday morning. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

The fire remains under investigation by the Lincoln County and Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office. Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said they asked the State Fire Marshal’s Office on Monday for assistance in the investigation.

“We just wanted to see if there was more to it,” Rushing said. “We usually call them when we have questions about fires. We call them to help.”

Rushing said Friday that the fire is still under investigation by the Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office could not provide further comment on the investigation, but confirmed they were investigating the fire. It is the second fire this week that is currently under investigation.

A fire destroyed the office building and weigh house at McKenzie Metals on Sunday night. 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 process of fire investigations 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 a glow were visible from about 2 miles away.

On site, the house was a single inferno of flames, of which only the beams, exterior walls and foundation were visible.

Efforts to contain the fire and protect surrounding buildings were successful. A trailer sustained minor heat damage. One vehicle near the fire was saved. The driver’s side mirror had begun to melt from the heat, but no further damage was apparent.

Firefighters worked for nearly three hours before they were able to clear the fire at 4 a.m. on Monday morning.