Monday, February 10, 2020

Faulty Wiring Caused Clinton Fire

Insurance Commish Mike Chaney issued the following statement. 

The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is investigating a house fire on Old Vicksburg Road in Clinton that killed seven people in the early hours of Saturday, February 8, 2020.

SFMO investigators have determined the fire was accidental and electrical in nature. It appears the fire started in the attic of the home. It also appears there were no working smoke alarms in the home. Without smoke alarms, there was no early detection and it may have prevented the victims from getting out in time. SFMO investigators believe metal bars on the windows of the home played a small role in the deaths. 

“This is a tragic situation. The family of the victims have my sincere condolences,” said State Fire Marshal and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.

Kingfish note: County property tax records state the home is owned by Paulette Horne of Terry. 

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is all to sad on so many levels! Terrible, Terrible, Terrible. I'm hanging my head to cry.

For want of greed the nail was left out. Previous Home owner not fixing bad wiring & installing a single smoke detector. Hell, you can get smoke detectors for free at fire stations....

For want of a nail the battle was lost. nail = smoke detector
For want of the battle my kingdom was lost. kingdom = family

Anonymous said...

How about we all go check our smoke detectors tonight rather than cast blame?

Anonymous said...

No, we CAN cast blame. The owner should have installed smoke detectors, period. They are low cost and even free from the fire department.

Metal bars on the windows are great to keep burglars out and also to trap people in. Shameful behavior by the owner of the house.

Anonymous said...

Please install smoke detectors and at least one carbon monoxide detector.
Make sure elderly and young adults have these too with new batteries. They are very inexpensive or free.
No excuses - just do it.

Anonymous said...

@ 4:18: Why do you believe the previous home owner is to blame for not having smoke detectors? You MUST be a broke lawyer looking for a paycheck.

Anonymous said...

I’ll be accused of victim blaming but here goes. Is there any responsibility on the parents to make sure there’s working smoke detectors in the home to protect your family? Or will we gloss over this part because the father’s loss is so tragic and there’s no pound of flesh left of him to take?

Anonymous said...

@5:04, this was a RENTAL.

Anonymous said...

The amoothbrain @5:04
Every heard of a landlord?

Anonymous said...

Still can’t blame the owner for everything. A rat could have chewed the wire you don’t know. A smoke detector may have been in there but maybe the kids broke it who knows. Do the tenant not have any responsibility??? Always got to blame someone else.

Anonymous said...

No escape burglar bars are the blame of the owner

Anonymous said...

9:34 PM Your 100 % correct.
Remember. Landlord going to get a fat insurance check to put in bank.

(1.) SFMO investigators believe metal bars on the windows of the home played a small role in the deaths. Cause for suit against Paulette Horne.
(2.) Should supply & have a clause in rental agreement to have working smoke detector. Cause for suit against Paulette Horne.
(3.) Electrical wiring check by licensed electrician. Cause for suit against Paulette Horne.
OK. All you heavy hitting lawyers go after this Slumdog landlord. Hell, do it pro bono.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, It's going to cost a boat load of money to bury 7 individuals.
R.I.P. Presley Family.

Anonymous said...

Most people don’t realize that even if the security bars have deadbolts, they often do not meet local code. The 2006 International Residential Code, which is considered dated, but still used by Madison County, specifically states that security bars cannot require a key or special tool to open. For the record, I have no idea what the City of Clinton has adopted for their standards. No shortage of entities to share blame in these types of terrible situations. But instead of trying to find someone to blame, use this as a lesson to help your family’s chances in a fire. Make sure you have smoke detectors and extinguishers handy. I showed my wife tonight how to work our extinguishers in the kitchen, and my kids will get the lesson tomorrow. They will know about the two under the sink and the one in the garage. We can all use horrible situations like this to prevent other tragedies, instead of blaming a grieving dad or a “slumlord” that owns (owned) one rental house that appears to have been inherited.

Anonymous said...

I viewed the Facebook pages of both parents. They were obviously immersed in and dedicated to interaction with their children. I could not survive this, even if I were able to get up and walk out of the hospital to attend the seven-person funeral service. Who among us could? Tragedy all the way around times 8.

I have no idea what the legal requirements were for the landlord. I'll leave that to others.

Anonymous said...

Home inspections could help. Insurance companies still pay bad electricians after a house burns down. Seen it too many times. Cooked off a heat pump breaker in Madison just the other day running both heat pumps simultaneously when it’s a million dollar, recently “remodeled” home. It’s a miracle more homes don’t catch on fire due to the people who do work on them.

Anonymous said...

Please stop putting CO alarms on the ceiling. You die by the time CO reaches that high. Sick of seeing this in houses.

Anonymous said...

@ 11:16 Well said! Please no victim-blaming. This man lost his entire family that he loved and adored.

Use this as a lesson to help prevent other tragedies. I checked my smoke detectors because of this, and much to my surprise NONE of them were working, not even the one that is hard-wired into the house (I don't understand the logic of hard-wiring one into the house, but that is a discussion for another time). Needless to say, I was shocked. It is all too easy to just assume they are working. I immediately bought new ones and replaced them all.

Anonymous said...

8:55...Mine beep with low or exhausted battery. Why didn't yours. Hope your replacements will.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, all structures need a detector up high in the eve of attic & crawl spaces to be totally effective. Those inside your home are adequate for fires started (below the ceilings) in kitchens, floor heaters and the like.

Anonymous said...

He didn't say they didn't show low battery. He said they didn't work. They can have full power, but be full of dust, with degraded components. They can even "pass" the test which is just checking the circuit and beeper. Great to have working batteries UNLESS you assume they are working. They may not be, and you and/or your family could die as a result of that assumption.

Consumer Reports: "The life expectancy of smoke alarms is generally 10 years (max), after which point their sensors can begin to lose sensitivity.

The test button only confirms that the battery, electronics, and alert system are working; it doesn’t mean that the smoke sensor is working.

To test the sensor, use an aerosol can of smoke alarm test spray that simulates smoke.

But even if the 17-year-old smoke alarms in your homes can still detect smoke, we recommend replacing them with new models."

A landlord should be testing them that way, and remember that they have lot numbers and dates on the labels.

Been in my house 20 years. All the detectors have been replaced twice or more. Several have failed. Redundancy is key.

See that line: it doesn't mean the smoke detector is working, even if the "test" passes.

And more modern detectors, such as Nest, are NETWORKED, so that they set off the other detectors and have more sophisticated sensing.

They can even send an alert to your cell, so if you are out in the yard or away you can act (such as calling your family, calling 911, or calling a neighbor).

So, if your kid has headphones on at the other side of the house, the networked one will go off in his room. Or you will get yours going off in the MBR if it's the kid's or baby's room.

And nowadays, it matters. Research has shown that new homes burn up to eight times faster than older homes. What this means is that people have less time to get out of a house when a fire starts - a lot less time.

So, even though this was an older home, new homes can give as little as 3 to 4 MINUTES to get out. Try getting 5 kids out in that time in smoke, heat, and dark.

God bless their souls. What a shame.

Again, The test button only confirms that the battery, electronics, and alert system are working; it doesn’t mean that the smoke sensor is working. You test that with smoke. So, hire my wife to cook every 6 months.


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.