A Bogue Chitto family already touched by tragedy lost their hometo fire Thursday morning despite the efforts of three volunteerfire departments.

A passerby noticed the fire at 3203 Wallace Lane and called itin to 911 around 9:30 a.m., according to Bogue Chitto VolunteerFire Department Chief Sedgie Mercier, and it was fully involvedwhen they arrived.

The owners of the house, Frank and Michelle Wallace, were nothome at the time of the fire.

“The house looked like it might have been burning inside awhilebefore it even got called in,” Mercier said.

Bogue Chitto’s pumper and rescue truck were joined by a pumperand tanker from Hog Chain Volunteer Fire Department and theirmanpower was bolstered with firefighters from Ruth Volunteer FireDepartment.

Firefighters had the blaze contained around 11 a.m., Merciersaid, but were having difficulty putting it out because of thehouse’s construction. The house had a tin roof over shingles.

“It was burning underneath that tin, and we couldn’t get to it,”he said.

The home is listed as a total loss, the chief said, butfirefighters managed to save a back bedroom and a few guns. Thesaved bedroom did, however, suffer extensive smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Merciersaid, but foul play is not suspected.

“The investigator told me yesterday that he believes it startedin the kitchen,” he said.

The fire was not the first tragedy to touch this family inrecent months.

The couple are the parents of Joseph Wallace, 13, and JoshWallace, 11, who were injured Sept. 31 when an all-terrain vehicle(ATV) they were riding with a third boy, Clay Hart, 12, wasinvolved in a collision with a 1990 Ford Bronco at the intersectionof Jackson-Liberty Drive and Norton Assink Road.

Hart died a few days later. Josh Wallace is still at UniversityMedical Center in Jackson, where he is listed in good condition.Joseph has returned to school at Loyd Star Attendance Center, whereall three students were enrolled.