Possible Arson, Grass Fires Keep Departments Busy

Coffeeville firefighters backed up by Velma and other county volunteers at a fire on County Road 86 at the unoccupied home of the late Dewey Jarrell. The first unit to arrive on the scene just after 9 p.m. reported that the structure was fully involved. Firefighters were on the scene until after midnight Tuesday morning. A firefighter pours water on a burning truck (above) while others (below) battle the fire around the home. – Photo by Jack Gurner

Water Valley firefighters hose down the remaining fire after being called out around 4 p.m. Thursday for a structure fire on County Road 98 just outside the southern city limits. A small barn/storage shed was already “on the ground” by the time they arrived. Among the items destroyed was a push lawnmower (foreground) and a riding lawnmower (right).

A mobile home was destroyed during a brush fire just before 2:30 p.m. Monday on County Road 22 in Oakland. Firefighters from both Oakland and Tillatoba arrived on the scene to find the structure already ablaze. A nearby resident was burning debris and the fire got out of control.

Cultine: One of the six blazes reported on Monday was this brush fire on County Road 220 just east of the southern city limits. Fighters from Water Valley and Velma departments were called to the scene around 4:30 p.m.

Quick action by county firefighters kept the home at 5070 County Road 95 from burning during a brush fire just after 1 p.m. Thursday. The blaze damaged the porch of the home and burned away some underpinning. Units from Velma and Pine Valley answered the call. Velma Chief Herbie Rogers knocked down the fire around the house.

Firefighters had to take to the woods to battle the blaze on County Road 95 around 1 p.m. Thursday. Yalobusha Deputy David Wallis used a water pack to get to the fire in the woods. This week’s rain gave firefighters a break.

Water from a fire hose created a rainbow briefly during the fire on County Road 95.

View the videos on YouTube – Structure Fire – Oakland Fire

By Jack Gurner
Reporter

COFFEEVILLE – Yalobusha County fire officials and the Sheriff’s Department are investigating one of Monday’s six fires as a possible burglary and arson.

Investigators were still on the scene in the early hours Tuesday of a structure fire on County Road 86 about two miles north of Coffeeville.

Fire destroyed the unoccupied home of the late Dewey Jarrell, former County Civil Defense Director, just before 9 p.m. Monday. Coffeeville and Velma firefighters along with other county volunteers worked the fire until past midnight.

Yalobusha Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Hyde, who serves as arson investigator, said that firefighters directed him to evidence that a break-in had occurred in a shed near the home.

Hyde and Deputy Ryan Winters were conducting an investigation when a pickup truck occupied by two men drove down the road. When Winters attempted to stop the truck, the pair drove off at a high rate of speed.

After a brief chase, the men bailed out of the vehicle and ran into the woods. One man was found hiding in the tall grass. Some evidence was collected from the pickup, according to Sheriff Lance Humphreys.

“We have one person of interest detained and are searching for James Bardo,” Humphreys told the Herald Tuesday afternoon. Bardo was identified as the second person in the truck Monday night. A felony arrest warrant was signed Tuesday, charging Bardo with burglary of a dwelling, the sheriff also reported.

“We have searched a number of residences and knocked on a lot of doors today,” Humphreys said about the search for Bardo.  Authorities would like to talk to Bardo about the house fire and items stolen from the residence and a nearby trailer. Humphreys urged anyone who has information about Bardo’s location to contact the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department at 473-2722 or contact the Yalobusha County Crimestoppers at 1-866-933-TIPS or 473-4935.

“There have been a lot of items reported missing from this location,” Humphreys added. “We have been able to recover a small portion of

The exact cause of the fire is not known and is still under investigation.

Monday’s other five blazes were mostly brush fires that caused more smoke than damage with the exception of one at around 2:30 p.m. on County Road 22 in Oakland.

A mobile home was destroyed in the 500 block of County Road 22 after a fire got away from a nearby resident. Oakland firefighers were backed up by Tillatoba units and a bulldozer from the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

Oakland firefighters had already been called out at 1:42 p.m. for a brush fire just off Hwy. 51 north of the Windsor Foods plant.

Within a few minutes Water Valley firefighters were sent to a brush fire in the 500 block of County Road 25 just northeast of the city. The small roadside fire was brought quickly under control.

One of the volunteers pointed to a smoldering pile of garbage as the probably cause of the fire.

Water Valley was called out again at 4:30 for yet another brush fire on County Road 220 just outside the southern city limits.

Throughout the early afternoon, callers to the Sheriff’s Department reported what many believed to be a large forest fire south of Coffeeville. A massive column of smoke was visible rising from a Forestry Service controlled burn just off Hwy. 7.

Smoke from a similar fire, three years ago to-the-day caused Hwy. 7 to be closed for four hours and contributed to a five-vehicle accident that injured four people. The United States Forestry Service had burned off 3,000 acres in Holly Springs National Forest the previous day.

Among the other fires reported in the county since last Friday:

• A brush fire south of Oakland near Hwy. 51 at 11:21 a.m Friday.

• A brush and woods fire on County Road 74 just off of Hwy. 7 south of Coffeeville around 1:30 Friday. Several structures were endangered but none burned.

• A brush fire at 3:20 p.m. Friday south of Tillatoba on County Road 5 near 234.

• Another brush fire on County Road 5 Saturday at 3:25 p.m. that endangered a house.

• A brush fire on Country Road 436 north of Coffeeville at 4:09 Saturday that was burning close to a natural gas distribution station.

Firefighters expect this week’s rain to significantly reduce the threat of brush fires.