Video: Winston County Couple Dies In Fire

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WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — There has been a tragic fire in Winston County. Investigators along with state fire marshals were at the scene of a deadly blaze in the Betheden Community this morning resulting in the death of an elderly couple.

Investigators along with relatives of the victims’ were at what use to be the wood frame home of James and Selma Triplett. Apparently a neighbor saw the blaze and called 9-1-1.

“It was totally involved when we got here. It was almost totally involved when the neighbor first saw it. Recognized it was a fire,” said Randle Livingston/Betheden VFD.

“I just heard popping and I thought somebody was messing around outside or something like that. So I came and looked out my blinds and I could see fire. I was thinking that maybe a pole or something, it looked at first like a pole was on fire. And as I looked further I saw that their back room was on fire,” said Sabrina Triplett/Neighbor-Relative.

“We looked at it and all and determined it started from a wood burning fireplace. The late hadn’t been cleaned out in a while, had closed up along the back side of it and that’s what started the fire, hear from the chimney,” said Keith Alexander/Winston County Sheriff Department.

Bertha Macon, one of the daughters apparently spent the evening talking with her parents. Her mother even gave her a gift….not knowing it would be the last one her daughter would receive from her.

“Mama told me, she said you take this, this pepper spray. Put it on your key right now. So I took it and put it on my key ring,” said Bertha Macon/Fire Victims’ Daughter.

And so two pillars of the Betheden Community are no longer there to lean on, and it’s something that no one expected.

“Because we never would have thought that they both would leave at the same time,” said Bertha Macon.”

About 5 members of that Triplett family are volunteer firefighters with the Betheden Fire Department. In addition to The Betheden Volunteer Fire Department, fire departments from Louisville and East Winston County responded to the blaze.