Counselors were on hand to assist Mississippi University for Women students today as news swept the campus of a fire in Hoover, Ala., that claimed the lives of four MUW students over the weekend.
The fire swept through a Days Inn motel Saturday night, killing the four students, who were trapped inside their room, officials said.
The university identified the students as Jamelia Brown of Grenada, Catherine Ann Muse and Alondan Turner of Cordova, Ala., and Jaslynn McGee of Corinth.
All of the students were freshmen and residents of MUW”s Kincannon Hall, the university said in a statement.
Student Services was working this afternoon to arrange a candlelight vigil for the students, which is planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Pope Banquet Room on campus.
Brown and McGee were pre-nursing students. Muse was majoring in theater, and Turner was an accounting major, the university said.
Hoover is about 90 miles east of Columbus, bordering Birmingham.
Officials didn”t immediately know what started the blaze Saturday night, or where it began.
The victims were among those who made 911 calls to report the fire, Hoover Fire Department spokesman Rusty Lowe said. Firefighters knew the women were trapped in their second-floor room, but couldn”t get to them because of the flames.
“Half of the hotel was on fire. The fire was very hot and it was just difficult to reach all the rooms to get to the victims,” Lowe said.
Turner and Muse were 18-year-old cousins from Cordova, which is about 30 miles north of Hoover.
The local fire department has requested help with the probe from state and federal agencies.
“The investigation will reveal a lot more,” Low said, adding that determining the cause “will not be a quick process, due to the amount of precision which will be required.”
As news of the deaths reached students on campus, MUW Counseling staff were “reaching out to students and are available to all who may need assistance,” the school said.
Students can call the Counseling Center at 662-329-7127.
“These students are members of our community and their deaths deeply impacts their classmates and the entire MUW family,” the statement said. “We all grieve with their families and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
The MUW campus was largely quiet this morning, with the campus closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
MUW junior Miguel Rivera-Ainaga, 20, of Biloxi, said he first learned of the tragedy Sunday afternoon.
“I heard someone crying in a dorm and soon another student told me about the fire,” he said.
Rivera-Ainaga did not know any of the victims personally, but said, “It”s hard; we just can”t really do anything right now but help those who knew them.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
