The State Fire Marshal’s office has ruled the cause of a deadly propane explosion in Copiah County earlier this year as undetermined.
Sheriff Byron Swilley confirmed that the explosion took place on Sunday, January 14, at a home on Wilderness Road. The incident took the lives of four people and left two with injuries.
Houston Jordan, 18, was the first recorded death at the scene of the incident, followed by 14-year-old Tolar Jordan at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on Monday, January 15. Police confirmed that 43-year-old Benji Jordan was pronounced dead at the Mobile Burn Center the following day. 52-year-old Jeremy Mitchell is also said to have succumbed to injuries sustained by the tragic explosion.
Though the cause of the incident remains undetermined by officials, attorney Ben Wilson with Morgan and Morgan told The Daily Leader that an independent investigation will take place to dig deeper into what led up to the deadly blast.
Wilson informed the newspaper that the State Fire Marshal’s primary objective was to determine whether or not there was a criminal element to the explosion. The attorney, on the other hand, is seeking to determine if there was evidence of negligence in order to present a case in a civil lawsuit.
Mitzi Jordan and Samantha Britt, both of whom were injured by the explosion, are suing Herring Gas and two of the company’s employees over allegations that a propane tank was not properly installed or inspected, leading to the lethal explosion.
Jordan and Britt, represented by Wilson, are seeking financial compensation for emotional damages, medical expenses, loss of property, and physical injuries in the lawsuit.
