A person died in a house fire on Higgins Street in Palestine, Arkansas, the St. Francis County Sheriff's Office said. The Forrest City Fire Department responded to the fire on Saturday.
The Forrest City Fire Department responded Saturday to a residential fire at 222 Higgins Street, FOX13 Memphis reported, citing the sheriff's office. The report says firefighters found one person dead inside.
No Foul Play Suspected, Sheriff's Office Says
Investigators have not indicated that foul play was involved in the death, per the same account. The St. Francis County Sheriff's Office page lists “Fatality House Fire” as occurring Saturday, October 24, 2026, according to St. Francis County Sheriff's Office. Fire crews reported that smoke alarms were not present inside the home at the time of the blaze, according to the station's report.
The FOX13 account did not identify the person who died or specify what caused the fire.
A Broader Pattern in Arkansas Fire Deaths
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety says that in 2025, only 14 percent of homes involved in fatal fires had working smoke alarms. In 2026, functioning alarms had been confirmed in only two structures among the 26 fatalities reported so far that year, the department said, as reported by Arkansas Department of Public Safety. Separately, the Arkansas State Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the state received reports of more than 60 fire-related deaths in 2025, according to Arkansas.gov.
Smoke Alarm Guidance
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety recommends installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, near stairwells and on each floor of a home, according to its smoke-detector guidance. That guidance covers alarm placement but does not say whether free alarms are available to residents of Palestine or St. Francis County.
No additional information about the Palestine fire, including the identity of the victim or the fire's origin, has been released by investigators as of Monday.
