Officials investigate 2 Thursday county fires

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By NATHAN GREGORY
citybeat@starkvilledailynews.com [2]

Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said he has reported two recent structure fires to the state fire marshal’s office because he believes they may have originated as a result of arson.

The first fire, which Maben Fire Department responded to just after midnight Thursday, occurred at an unoccupied double-wide trailer on 2396 Maben-Starkville Road. Approximately three hours later, MFD assisted Webster County firefighters to extinguish another vacant structure near the intersection of Miss. Highway 15 and U.S. Highway 182 in east Webster County in Mathiston.

Rosenhan said there are no persons of interest in connection to the two fires identified at this time.

“This string of fires is not only suspicious but incendiary in nature,” Rosenhan said. “The state fire marshal’s office has been contacted, and we will continue to investigate the incidents.”

A third fire at an uninhabited building on Oktoc Road behind Ebenezer Baptist Church was reported at approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, but Rosenhan said that blaze was determined to be electrical in nature and is not part of the investigation. East Oktibbeha Fire Department members were able to extinguish that blaze with the assistance of Bell Schoolhouse Fire Department and District 5 Fire Department.

County firefighters also extinguished a blaze in a residence on Blackjack Road earlier this week. All six occupants of the structure escaped unharmed.

Rosenhan said that fire started from a stove in the residence.