Vicksburg firefighter Kris Tower sprays water on a house on Fairground Street Wednesday evening.(Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[11/13/03]A house fire on Fairground Street thought to have been caused by electrical problems Wednesday afternoon left the home heavily damaged and nine people homeless.

Five people were inside the house at 508 Fairground St. at about 3:41, when the blaze began. It gutted the front part of the house in minutes.

One of the residents, Sheena Newsome said she had just arrived home with her 8-month-old daughter when she smelled smoke coming from near the air-conditioner in the living room of the wood-frame house.

“I was sitting in a chair and the plug started smoking,” said Newsome.

Another resident, Johnnie B. Tolliver, said when he saw smoke coming from the outlet he ran outside to turn the electricity off.

“When I came back, it was blazing,” he said.

Vicksburg Fire Department Investigator Capt. Bill Field said the fire appeared to have started from electrical problems.

The Red Cross put the residents in two hotel rooms Wednesday night and will help them find a place to live today, said Vicksburg Fire Department Deputy Chief Rose Shaifer.