Greenwood recorded its first fire-related death of the year early Sunday when a trailer home caught fire on Mississippi 7 North.
The victim, identified as Sandra Hambers, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene by Leflore County Coroner Debra Sanders. She died of apparent smoke inhalation, Sanders said.
Williams & Lord Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
The trailer is located at 303 Mississippi 7 North (No. 2, Rear).
The fire remains under investigation. City Fire Marshal Victor Stokes was at the trailer late Monday morning, and a state fire marshal was expected to be on the scene today, Stokes said.
This is the first fire-related death in the city since April 2016, according to Fire Chief Marcus Banks. Prior to that, in October 2015, the department responded to a vehicle fire in the county that resulted in one death.
Greenwood police received a call about the fire at 5:30 a.m., Chief Ray Moore said. Mark Mulconrey, Michael March and Austin Cook were the first officers on the scene. They were shortly joined by Lt. Patricia Bounds and Sgt. Amos Hayes.
Units from the Greenwood Fire Department arrived soon afterward, the chief said.
The police officers used a tire iron to break some of the windows in the trailer, Moore said.
A next-door neighbor, Misty Wiggins, said it took four officers to open the front door. Once they did, they were immediately met by a wall of flames.
Moore said officers entered the trailer and moved to the front bedroom before being driven back by the heat and heavy smoke.
According to the run report, firefighters used 500 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.
Banks said fire deaths are higher in the Delta than other parts of the state, likely due to the socioeconomic conditions of the region and the ages of many of the residences. The loss of life is always regrettable, he said.
“We want to send our condolences to the family,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
