Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Fred Guarino

Lowndes Signal

According to reports, a man identified as Chris Bell, husband of Mosses Council member Sharon Bell, was injured in a house fire in Mosses and airlift from Hayneville Thursday night.

Mosses Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Burke said his department was “paged out to a 1070 explosion.’ But when his department arrived on the scene it was a “house fire” at 176 Bell Road.

He said the page came between 7 and 7:20 p.m. Thursday night.

Burke said when he arrived he was told a man had been injured “burned,” but had already been transported.

Burke said the house was already in flames and was “pretty much already gone… the roof was already burned through.”

He said the in addition to the Mosses Volunteer Fire Department, the Hayneville Volunteer Fire Department and manpower from the White Hall Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Burke confirmed that the house was the home of Mosses Council member Sharon Bell and that the injured was her husband, Chris Bell.

Burke said after the Hayneville Volunteer Fire Department was called in, they asked what the nature of the call was and was told by 911 that it was a house fire.

Mosses Mayor Walter Hill said he was told Chris Bell had tried to light a gas stove and “allegedly during the lighting of the stove there was an explosion.” He said Bell was taken to Hayneville and airlifted to Birmingham in critical condition.

Hill said, “The family of Councilperson Bell is taking up residency with family members for the time being, due the fact the home was a total loss.” He said, “We are asking for prayers for the family.”