Feb. 8 (UPI) — A house fire in Mississippi killed a mother and her six children overnight, emergency officials said.
The fire broke out around 12:30 a.m. Saturday on Old Vicksburg Road and Hobby Farm Road in Clinton, Miss., according to the Clinton Fire Chief Jeff Blackledge.
The mother, 33, and children, ranging in age from 1 to 15, died in the fire. Their names have not been released.
The father is in the hospital after sustaining smoke inhalation, burns, cuts and bruises while attempting to rescue his family, Mark Jones, a spokesman for the City of Clinton, said.
The Clinton Fire Department and the state fire marshal was investigating the cause of the fire, though no foul play is expected, Jones said.
“The house was fully engulfed in flames and we know it was built in 1951,” Jones said.
Investigators will “look for anything that may have started the fire, smoke detectors, the burglar bars around the windows,” he said, adding that it may be next week before the cause of the fire is determined.
Jones said the father and his sons would do yard work sometimes for some of the neighbors, and the family was “some of the nicest people” he’s met.
The fire took about 45 minutes to get under control with four engines and a ladder truck on the scene.
“We ask for your prayers,” on behalf of the family and first responders, Jones said.
