Mother, four children die in trailer fire
Published 12:00 am Friday, May 7, 2004
An early morning fire Wednesday in Uniontown took the life of a mother and four children.
Two trucks from the Uniontown Volunteer Fire Department and three units from the Uniontown Police Department responded to a 1:30 a.m. trailer fire in the Cedar Hill Estates section.
The fire had completely engulfed the trailer when first responders arrived, said Uniontown Police Chief Donald Rhodes. It was impossible to rescue anyone inside the trailer, he said.
The victims included the mother, Viola Fikes, 24, and four children, Emanuel Lane, 9, WyQuise Fikes, 6, Shakemia Ward, 4 and Sekira Fikes, 1. The mother was known to be four to five-months-pregnant.
According to information from local authorities, electricity had been cut off to the trailer, and the use of candles is suspected as a cause of the flame. A cigarette is also suspected.
No official cause of the fire has been revealed, and officials with the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Department were at the site Wednesday.
The bodies were transported to the state forensics lab in Tuscaloosa for further investigation.