House fire claims life of one victim

This past Thursday morning, a house fire on Alma Kirk Road, claimed the life of one individual, reported to be a young female. The name of the victim is being withheld at this time.

According to Emergency Management Director Ben Dudley, the report of the fire came in to 9-1-1 at just after 8 a.m., and the caller did report that there was someone in the house. DeKalb Fire Dept. responded, and Dudley stated that the first firefighter on scene reported that the house was fully engulfed in flames when he arrived.

In addition to DeKalb FD, Sinai VFD, Preston VFD, Spring Hill VFD, Mt. Nebo VFD, New Hope VFD, Three-Mile Corner VFD and Mt. Salem VFD responded to the scene as well. Dudley stated that some departments contributed manpower while others provided equipment.

Sheriff James Moore reported that the State Fire Marshal’s office responded to the scene to try and determine the cause of the fire, but no report of findings has been issued thus far, as the incident is still under investigation.

Kemper County Coroner Terry Bostic added that the victim’s body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Pearl, MS to determine the exact cause of death, but no findings have been reported at this time.