Just off Maben-Sturgis Road in western Oktibbeha County, the charred remains of a mobile home sat at the end of a long, gravel driveway Monday morning, four days after fire tore through the structure and killed 51-year-old Donna Barmore.
Windows and wall paneling were missing, siding was melted and blackened, and broken glass laid on the front porch and nearby grass. The smell of burnt lumber hung in the air.
Inside, the trailer was in ruins. Charred furniture, dishes, telephone books and other household items littered the floor, sunlight shined through holes in the walls and insulation hung from the ceiling.
Next door, Jimmy Allen, 64, stepped into the morning sun and was greeted by his two German shepherds, Sadie and General, and looked across the field at Barmore”s former home. The lifelong Oktibbeha County resident shook his head sadly.
“Lord, have mercy,” Allen said. “I”m going to miss her.”
According to Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt, Barmore died of smoke inhalation after fire broke out in her trailer at 2040 Maben-Sturgis Road the morning of Dec. 9. No foul play is suspected, Hunt said.
Investigators with the State Fire Marshal”s Office and Oktibbeha County Sheriff”s Office Monday were still trying to determine what caused the blaze.
Allen says he was asleep the morning of Dec. 9 when he was awakened by his dogs, who were barking and howling at fire trucks and emergency vehicles approaching from nearby Highway 82. When Allen looked out the window, he saw a sheriff”s deputy turning into Barmore”s driveway and knew something was wrong, he recalled Monday. Allen then saw his longtime neighbor”s home on fire. Investigators believe the fire started in the bedroom area.
Allen says he tried to get into the trailer to save Barmore, but a sheriff”s deputy wouldn”t let him inside.
“I just wish there was something I could have done,” Allen said, his eyes moist. “I tried to get in there, but the deputy wouldn”t let me.”
For Allen, Barmore”s death has left a tremendous void in his life. The woman visited Allen two or three times a day, he said, and regularly brought him food and other items.
“She would have done anything in the world for me,” Allen said.
Helping others was a way of life for Barmore. She was a volunteer with the American Red Cross and Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Services, and assisted at disasters, helped educate youth and adults, and provided other services, like giving senior citizens rides to doctor appointments.
“She was terrific,” said Becky Wilkes, former director of Oktibbeha County Red Cross and current member of the OSERVS board of directors. “This is a tragedy for all of us. Donna was a fine, giving person.”
But Barmore also dealt with depression, Allen said, and told him she was depressed the night before she died. Wilkes also said she knew about Barmore”s history with depression.
“She came to us at a time when she was down in her life, but this was her way of giving back to the community,” Wilkes said of Barmore”s volunteer service. “It”s a shame to lose someone like that. She was a sweetheart.”
Barmore also was an active member of Double Springs Baptist Church in Maben, where she taught Sunday school, said Beverly Fulgham, Allen”s sister and a member of the church.
“She worked hard over there,” Fulgham said Monday. “We”re all going to miss her.”
Visitation for Barmore was Monday night in Eupora. Her memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Double Springs Baptist Church on Maben-Sturgis Road.
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