JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) – Authorities are investigating a Jones County house fire that claimed the lives of a man, two dogs and eight puppies on Monday, January 16.

According to Jones County deputies and the Jones County Fire Council, crews responded to the scene around 12:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of Highway 29 North. A wood-framed home with a large addition was fully engulfed.

Officials said Khanh Van Duong, 56, his wife and daughter were home at the time of the fire. Duong told them to leave the home while he went to get the family pets.

His wife and daughter were able to escape, but heavy smoke and flames prevented Duong from leaving or being rescued by firefighters. He died in the fire. Duong’s body was located near the back of the home.

Investigators believe the fire started in the home’s addition, which served as a storage area.

One firefighter was injured, but declined medical transport. Duong’s wife and daughter were not injured.

  • (Courtesy: Jones County Sheriff’s Department)
  • (Courtesy: Jones County Fire Council)
  • (Courtesy: Jones County Sheriff’s Department)
  • (Courtesy: Jones County Sheriff’s Department)

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the sheriff’s department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.