A body discovered in a burned out home Sunday night has not been identified, though the blaze appears to be accidental.

The fire was ruled accidental and appeared to be electrical in nature, Sheriff Martin Pace said.

“No foul play is suspected,” Pace said.

Identification using a DNA analysis is pending at the Mississippi State Crime Lab, Warren County Doug Huskey said.

The home at 230 Old Mount Alban Road was discovered on fire at about 8 p.m. Sunday by Warren County deputies who noticed smoke east of Vicksburg.

Volunteer firefighters from Culkin and Bovina extinguished the blaze and discovered the unidentified body inside.

If the person is determined to have died in the fire, it would be the first fatal fire reported in Vicksburg or Warren County this year.

In 2013 two people died as a result of kitchen fires in Vicksburg.

 

Reward offered in Claiborne County arson

Claiborne County deputies are seeking clues and the State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering a cash reward for help catching an arsonist who was caught on video burning two homes last month.

Video from a wildlife camera shows a black male between 5-feet-8-inches and 5-feet-10-inches starting a fire at a deer camp off Mississippi 552 about half a mile from Alcorn State University, said Claiborne County Chief Deputy Carl Fleming.

“It shows a black male starting a fire and then tossing it under the RV,” Fleming said.

The fire spread to an unoccupied home immediately behind the mobile home, Fleming said.

The property owner had installed wildlife cameras to monitor hogs on the property. The RV had also been burglarized earlier in June, Fleming said.

Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to call Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office at 601-437-5161 or the State Fire Marshal at 601-359-1061 or 1-888-648-0877

The State Fire Marshals Office will offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist.