Man killed, 5 more injured in Horn Lake house fire

HORN LAKE, MS (WMC) - A man was killed and five more suffered injuries in a house fire in Horn Lake on Wednesday morning.

The fire broke out on Castle Drive after 7 a.m.

A young man escaped out of the back of the house, but three other adults and two children were trapped inside the burning home.

The man who escaped began breaking windows in the home in an effort to free the people inside. He also turned on a hose and sprayed water on the flames.

One man was killed in the fire; two children were rushed to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and four adults were taken to the hospital. The condition of the injured people is unknown at this time.

A family member set up a GoFundMe for the victims of the fire.

Fire investigators have not determined what caused the fire.

However, they said a fire alarm inside the home was disconnected, likely contributing to the damage sustained during the fire.

"We found a smoke detector, but unfortunately they had taken it down," Horn Lake Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron White said. "It's sad, that could've saved somebody's life."

It's an alarming trend the Mississippi State Fire Marshal has seen this year. Fire deaths are up 50 percent in the state of Mississippi, and since January at least 28 people have died.

This time last year, there were only eight fire deaths statewide.

State fire officials partially blame the increase on a lack of working smoke alarms in the homes.

Horn Lake's Fire Department routinely installs smokes alarms in homes while out on calls if they see one missing.

It's the second fatal fire in the Mid-South on Wednesday. Earlier in the morning, a man was killed in a fire at a Memphis apartment complex.

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