Structure fires in Vicksburg continue amid the recent snap of cold weather with a house fire Friday morning in an unoccupied home on Walnut Street.

Vicksburg Fire Chief Derrick Stamps said neither of the house’s two occupants were home at the time of the fire and no one was injured. 

“At approximately 8:01 a.m. this morning, the Vicksburg Fire Department received an alert about a structure fire at 806 Walnut Street,” Stamps said. “Upon arrival, firefighters encountered thick, black smoke billowing from the windows, and flames were visible along the building walls. Without hesitation, the brave crew initiated an interior attack, swiftly extinguishing the raging fire and preventing it from spreading to neighboring structures. Fortunately, the building was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported, allowing the firefighters to focus entirely on safely extinguishing the flames.”

Stamps said the fire has been determined to have been caused by an overloaded power strip. 

The fire comes only 24 hours after a major blaze destroyed a vacant hotel on Clay Street when the Scottish Inn caught fire just after 7 a.m. Thursday.

Although the fire at the Scottish Inn remains under investigation, Stamps and other safety officials are stressing heating safety as temperatures continue to drop, with Stamps adding that heating equipment is responsible for one in six home fires and one in five associated fatalities during the winter months of December, January and February.