Mount Vernon Fire Leaves One Dead

Fire and police responding to a house fire on Henry Lee Brown Street in Mount Vernon on August 11 discovered the body of Ricky Bell, 57, in a hallway near a back door. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Deputy Coroner Jimmy Sharpton, Mount Vernon Fire Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, and the local Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Service responded to the blaze at 2:20 p.m. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, but not before the 22-year-old mobile home was significantly damaged. Investigators from the office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King determined the cause of the fire to be the ignition of bedding by a burning cigarette in the victim’s bedroom. Bell was pronounced dead at the scene and his body has been sent the State Crime Lab for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Investigators said Bell suffered from many health issues that may have contributed to his death alongside smoke inhalation and the fire itself.

The investigation on this case will continue until the autopsy report returns to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.