Disaster in Delphos
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Small community hit by two tragedies on same day
By Jeff Snyder
DELPHOS, Iowa — Fire ripped through a home in Delphos last Wednesday leaving a family destitute in the aftermath.
Jolene and Chad Percifield stood on the lawn of an abandoned church across the street from their burning trailer type home and watched as all their belongings literally went up in smoke in the unincorporated community approximately eight miles southwest of Mount Ayr.
Several area fire departments responded to the scene and fought the blaze for more than an hour and a half before they were able to bring the fire under control.
According to the Percifield’s, the blaze was likely started by an external wood burning stove which was used to provide heat to the dwelling. Two people were home at the time the blaze started, but were outside when it did. There were no reported injuries as a result of the fire.
Smoke could be seen for miles around the tiny community of approximately 26 people, as of the 2020 census, while officials on scene tried to put together the pieces of this tragedy.
Chad Percifield had already left for work when he was alerted about the fire. He immediately returned to find his home ablaze.
The home consisted of a trailer type main structure along with a number of additions that had been tacked on over the years. There is a separate garage located adjacent to the home to the south, but was unaffected by the blaze.
“I don’t know what I would have done if the garage caught on fire,” Chad Percifield said. “My Mustang is in there.”
An official from the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department, who was on scene, indicated that while the investigation into the fire is still ongoing there is no reason to believe that the fire was anything other than an accident.
In an odd twist of fate and perhaps an incredible coincidence, the Sheriff’s Department indicated that they were also in the neighborhood investigating an apparent suicide that took place at approximately the same time the fire was going on just a block away.
Further investigation into this incident revealed that the suicide victim had indirect ties to the Percifield family, whose home was burning around the corner.
On February 17, the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department arrested Kevin Lee Ray on charges of assault while brandishing a dangerous weapon. The apparent assault victim, whose name has not been released, was staying with the Percifield family whose house caught on fire.
Ray had been in and out of trouble with the law for years according to publicly available sheriff’s reports. When discussing the potential connection of the fire to the suicide victim given the turbulent history, the sheriff’s department could not commit to the two incidents being connected.
“We’re still conducting an active investigation at this time regarding the suicide, but so far we see no connection to the fire,” Deputy Shannon Arends said.
Adam Kaster, the lead death investigator for Ringgold County, was also on site as the two incidents occurred. He indicated that an investigation was ongoing and that there was no comment as of press time. Kasters role for the county is to act in official capacity regarding traditional medical examiner duties.
Jolene Percifield has since set up a Go Fund me account hoping to raise $1,000 to help offset the losses brought about by the fire. According to the page, Percifield indicated that they may try to convert the garage that was untouched by the fire as a temporary living arrangement. Additional details can be found on Percifields’ Facebook page.
Ringgold County has been under a burn ban for the last week now restricting controlled set fires common in the farming community as land owners prepare their land for the upcoming growing season. Nearby Taylor County has joined a number of other surrounding counties in declaring a burn ban.
UPDATE: The Ringgold County Sheriffs department released the following press release March 3.
What happened: Unattended death
Deputies responded to 1667 South Street in Delphos in response to an unattended death.
Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
