Update (April 12, 2024)
The State Fire Marshal has deemed the cause of the fire as "undetermined".
Investigators concluded that the fire started in the house's laundry room.
Original Reporting:
DeSoto County Fire Rescue is investigating a deadly Thursday afternoon house fire in Arcadia.
Fire officials tell your Arcadia Community Correspondent Victoria Scott they got a call around 2:30 p.m. for a smoke investigation. It quickly turned it something more.
They then got a call that it had turned into a house fire on Alabama Avenue near Gordon Street.
When crews arrived, a mailman told firefighters he believed the homeowner was still inside.
Though firefighters tried to get in the house, crews had to back out because the high winds were fueling the flames.
Once they were able to get the fire under control, they found a man dead inside. It's not clear how the man died, which will need to be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
"The fire was like fighting a fire in a hurricane with the winds," the Battalion Chief told Fox 4.
Fox 4 meteorologist Katie Walls says the area of the fire had sustained winds of 26 mph and gusts up to 41 mph. Gusts stayed in the 30-40 mph range until 4:15 p.m.
The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
