A fire heavily damaged a vacant house in Moorhead on Tuesday evening, authorities said.
The Sunflower County Sheriff's Office dispatched firefighters to 404 Spruce Street at approximately 8 p.m. on April 1, according to Moorhead Fire Chief Gary Perryman.
Perryman said the fire was "massive and was fully involved" by the time firefighters arrived. "Our biggest challenge on this call was that we received it late.”
Firefighters launched a defensive attack to extinguish the blaze. Perryman said the property was a "total loss."
He added that the residence was vacant and had no active utility accounts.
"No one lived in the home, and no utilities were being billed to the property," Perryman said.
The property owner has been contacted, and the Sunflower County Fire Inspector is investigating the cause of the fire. "Our initial findings is suspicious at this time," Perryman said.
The Moorhead Fire Department requested mutual aid from District 2 (Inverness FD) and the South Task Force. Nineteen firefighters responded to the scene to extinguish the fire and secure the area. Moorhead Police Department also assisted.
Moorhead Police Chief Joseph Wilson Jr. said officers arriving at the scene found the residence engulfed in flames.
"The police department will continue to work diligently with the community and agencies to ensure the family is okay and understand as a community when one hurts we all hurt," Wilson said. "Currently we don't suspect any injuries; however, we will continue to be diligent in providing the best protection we possibly can."
Wilson also thanked the responding fire departments, noting "a real unity in Sunflower County that hopefully will become infectious."
