Two die in Bourbon County fire

Sunday, February 5, 2006
Firefighters responded to a deadly fire at this Bourbon County home on Friday at about 12:45 a.m. Firefighters continue to investigate the cause.

Two Bourbon County residents died early Friday morning when fire tore through their mobile home on Kansas Highway 39.

Deborah K. Joles, 36, and Tabatha L. Joles, 13 -- mother and daughter -- were two of four persons inside the structure at the time of the blaze. Tynce "Tiny" Joles, 52, and his son, Tommy L. Joles, 8, escaped without injury. One of the family members escaped the house and rushed over to a brother's house, located near the burning structure. The family member then went over to a neighbor and called for help, Bourbon County Undersheriff Ron Gray said.

The fire broke out around 12:45 a.m., at 1416 Kansas 39, about 12 miles southwest of Fort Scott and 1 mile east of Hiattville.

Kansas State Fire Marshal Investigator John Harrison said the fire appeared to be accidental, but did not conclude the official cause of the fire. He said the fire started near the south side of the two single-wide mobile homes, which were adjacent to each other and connected by a hallway. The family has had problems with a recreational vehicle they used for unspecified electrical purposes, Harrison said, but declined to say whether that caused the fire.

"Flames fully engulfed the trailer structure by the time rural firefighters arrived on the scene," Bourbon County Fire District No. 3 Coordinator Delwin Mumbower said.

"It (structure) was pretty much gone by the time we arrived," Mumbower said. Harrison said the structure's metal roof helped keep heat and the fire bottled up inside, which might have contributed to the intensity of the fire.

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