Three Missing after Oktibbeha Co. Blaze

[bitsontherun v9igN0WE]OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. – (WCBI) Four people were at a home on Bardwell Road in Oktibbeha County, when a blaze broke out in the back bedroom. When volunteer firefighters arrived, an elderly man was discovered in the backyard.

“It is unclear whether he was really involved in the fire itself. He was not injured in the fire. He was outside watching the fire when I got here,” says Oktibbeha County Fire Coordinator Kirk Rosenhann.

He was transported to OCH Regional Medical Center.

Suffering from dementia, he was unable to help firefighters in the search for the 92-year old disabled female, her 24-year old grandson, and 45-year old Geraldine Rice.

Rice, a caregiver for the elderly woman, served Oktibbeha County as a volunteer firefighter.

Now, Rosenhann and his crew are faced with finding one of their own

“We will not stop until we complete the operation” says Rosenhann.

The old wooden home continued to re-ignite. When the sun set, rescue workers faced several obstacles.

“It had a great deal of interior furnishings, and there is an indoor swimming pool. Because of the magnitude of the debris, we brought in a county owned backhoe.”

The East Oktibbeha County volunteers also have the help of fellow agencies, including the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department and the State Fire Marshall’s Office.

It’s a recovery effort that stretches far beyond the smoke, and into the hearts of family members who want answers about their loved ones.

The names of other two people involved have yet to be released, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.