Fire destroys buildings at Mississippi ag museum

JACKSON, Miss. — Thick, black smoke billowed through the air over northeast Jackson on Thursday evening as a two-alarm fire destroyed at least three buildings at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a major tourist attraction in the metro area.

A fourth building might have been affected, according to Keith Montgomery, chief deputy for the state fire marshal's office. There were no human injuries reported at the scene.

"At this time, we don't even have an idea as to what might have caused it," he said. "We'll investigate it as soon as we can."

Eight to 10 Jackson Fire Department trucks responded to the blaze, which started close to 5 p.m. CT as motorists were heading home from work along Lakeland Drive. Multiple Jackson Police Department officials responded to the area as well.

A barn that housed animals and a veterinary clinic were destroyed in the blaze. Firefighters and museum officials did not know Thursday night whether any animals were harmed or killed in the fire.

Fire alarms from other buildings on the premises continued to screech as firefighters contained the flames. Some museum employees huddled together and consoled one another as they spoke with Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith.

"This was our worst nightmare," said Sandy Havard, a 16-year employee of the ag museum. "We always knew that if a fire started it would spread because all the buildings are made of wood."

As firefighters strategically ran hosing throughout the property, other workers chased horses, pigs and other animals that escaped from their pens in the barns.

"We saw smoke and stopped to help in any way that we could, so we're out here trying to wrangle in these loose animals," one man said as he caught his breath. "Apparently when they saw the fire, they opened up all the gates so as many animals could get out as possible."

Montgomery said he saw it from 15 miles away in Florence.

The fire marshal's office will lead the investigation, and the Jackson Fire Department will assist. Montgomery said because of the fire's intensity, the investigation wouldn't begin until Friday morning at the earliest.

"I'm just so distraught right now," Havard said. "This has been our lives for so many years, and it's just burning to the ground."

Harvest Festival and Gingerbread Market activities Friday and Saturday at the museum have been canceled.